A worker coalition in Arkansas and a Washington, D.C.-based environmental nonprofit have asked the government to stop Tyson Foods, one of America’s biggest meat companies, from advertising to the public that its workers are “safer than ever.” In a complaint filed today with the Federal Trade Commission... allege that the meat giant makes workplace safety claims that are “egregiously misleading” consumers.

... [Tyson] says that it ensures “safe and healthy” workplaces, but the complainants say that’s not true. Tyson has reported more severe injuries than all but two other companies since 2015, and had more Covid-19 cases than any other meatpacker during the pandemic. Nor could the company be “committed to improving the health and safety” of its workers, as it claims, because it hasn’t implemented social distancing at workstations or slowed down line speeds, two actions that federal agencies have recommended to stop the spread of the coronavirus.

... When asked for comment, a Tyson spokesman did not address the allegations made by Venceremos and Food and Water Watch, but directed The Counter to an announcement that the company has tested “nearly a third of its workforce” and plans to deploy 200 additional nurses and administrative staff to test “thousands of workers every week” across all facilities, and screen for symptoms. The company said that less than 1 percent of its American workforce of 120,000 currently has the disease.