Catherwood LibraryILR School

During the beginning of the pandemic, numerous meatpacking companies, such as Smithfield, were slow to enact proper safety precautions. Specifically, at Smithfield meatpacking location was one of the first major outbreak locations in the nation. Despite the outbreaks, food and agriculture workers remained essential workers. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that food processing workers receive vaccine priority. However, many states didn't lay out their vaccination phases that way. Only 12 states include food processing workers in vaccination access, while large meatpacking producing states like South Dakota, Texas, Minnesota and Georgia don't.