Meat companies still don’t have enough workers to staff slaughterhouses, leading to rising prices and even some acute supply shortages. That’s a problem of their own making because of poor labor practices, according to an investor group that focuses on ESG issues.
While global meat companies boosted pay and other benefits in the wake of the pandemic that started in 2020, some of the enhanced offerings have since been rolled back or weakened, including in some cases, paid time off for sick leave, according to a report from the FAIRR Initiative released Tuesday. The group, which represents investors with $70 trillion in combined assets, also pointed to the use of subcontracted workers as leaving companies vulnerable to facilitating unethical labor conditions.
