A group of Democratic lawmakers recently wrote a letter to the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) to reject proposed rules that would increase line speeds for poultry and pork processing facilities.
The letter co-led by Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Representative Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) warn the proposed changes would increase the risk of injuries among meatpacking workers. “Line speed limits exist to protect workers and food safety, and increasing those limits with no new safeguards only worsens the risks,” the lawmakers wrote. “Meatpacking and poultry workers must perform repetitive, forceful tasks with knives and saws in very crowded, excessively noisy, and wet spaces, often in extreme temperatures. Studies are clear that this work leaves them at very high risk of serious musculoskeletal disorders of the hand, wrist, and shoulder amputations, devastating injuries from slipping, hearing loss, and other injuries.” Read more