JBS USA controversies
Controversies tied to this brand in public sources. A listing is not a finding of fault.
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2024
Net-zero advertising lawsuit
New York’s attorney general sued JBS USA over alleged deceptive environmental marketing connected to the company’s Net Zero by 2040 claims.
2024
Antibiotic-free labeling concerns
The USDA reportedly identified the use of human-grade antibiotics in beef labeled as free from antibiotics, raising food-labeling and antimicrobial-resistance concerns.
2022
Pork price-fixing settlement
JBS agreed to pay $20 million to settle litigation alleging coordination among pork producers to inflate prices.
2022
Beef price-fixing settlement
JBS agreed to a $52.5 million settlement in litigation alleging coordination among major beef processors.
2021
Ransomware attack
A ransomware attack temporarily interrupted JBS processing operations across the United States and other markets. JBS paid an $11 million ransom in Bitcoin.
2021
JBS USA fined after worker loses arm at Colorado plant
Fine or penalty
JBS USA received five citations and fines totaling nearly $175,000 after a worker's arm was amputated at its Colorado beef plant. OSHA determined that the conveyor belt was not properly guarded and that employees did not know to wear a device securing sleeves. The citations and fines followed the agency's investigation of the incident at the Colorado facility.
JBS USA was issued five citations and fines totaling nearly $175,000 after a worker’s arm was amputated at its Colorado beef plant. OSHA determined that the conveyor belt was not properly guarded and employees did not know to wear a device securing sleeves.
Source excerpt
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration determined JBS hadn’t properly guarded the conveyor belt, and employees didn’t know to wear a device that secures sleeves.
Meatpacking giant JBS USA has been issued five citations and fines totaling nearly $175,000 after a worker’s arm was amputated when it got stuck in a conveyer belt at the company’s beef plant in northern Colorado.
2021
JBS USA reports cyberattack affecting IT systems
Issue disclosure
JBS USA said it was targeted in an organized cyberattack that affected IT systems in North America and Australia. The company said it suspended affected systems, notified authorities, and activated staff and third-party experts to resolve the situation; it said it was not aware of evidence that customer, supplier, or employee data had been compromised or misused.
Company response
Remediation — JBS USA
Investigation — JBS USA
"The company's backup servers were not affected, and it is actively working with an Incident Response firm to restore its systems as soon as possible," the statement said.
Source excerpt
JBS USA, a US subsidiary of the world's largest meat supplier, with headquarters in Colorado, was targeted in an "organized cyberattack" that impacted IT systems in North America and Australia, the company said on Monday.
"The company's backup servers were not affected, and it is actively working with an Incident Response firm to restore its systems as soon as possible," the statement said.
2021
JBS USA reaches proposed settlement in pork antitrust lawsuit
Settlement
Indirect commercial and institutional purchaser plaintiffs asked a Minnesota court to approve a proposed $12.75 million settlement with JBS USA in a pork antitrust lawsuit. The settlement was pending court approval; plaintiffs alleged that JBS and other processors exchanged nonpublic pricing and demand information and that purchasers paid artificially inflated prices.
Source excerpt
The group of indirect purchaser plaintiffs alleged that the defendants exchanged detailed and sensitive information which was not public through Agri Stats about pricing and demand, allowing the defendants to control the price of pork. The plaintiffs alleged that they paid “artificially inflated prices” for pork.
On Thursday, commercial and institutional indirect purchase plaintiffs asked the Minnesota District Court for approval of a $12.75 million settlement with JBS USA in a antitrust lawsuit alleging that JBS and other pork processing companies including Hormel Foods, Smithfield Foods, and Tyson Foods participated in illegal antitrust activities.
2019
Clean Water Act lawsuit
Environmental groups alleged that JBS violated the Clean Water Act through toxic discharges into a Colorado river.
2018
Supplier animal-welfare allegations
Undercover footage from a Kentucky supplier allegedly showed workers abusing pigs and indicated continued use of gestation crates.
2010
Packers and Stockyards Act penalty
The Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration assessed a $175,000 civil penalty over disclosure and carcass-payment practices involving missing lean-percentage data.
2009
E. coli beef recall
JBS Swift Beef recalled more than 421,000 pounds of beef after possible E. coli O157:H7 contamination was identified.
2006
Swift immigration raids and identity-theft investigation
Immigration and Customs Enforcement raided six Swift facilities in December 2006, before the JBS acquisition, leading to the arrest of 1,282 undocumented workers and criminal charges connected to alleged identity theft. The episode formed part of the inherited history surrounding the Swift business.