Tyson Foods, Inc. — Ethics Grade D

Tyson Foods, Inc. receives an overall ethics grade of D (27/100) on CancelCo's corporate accountability database. Sector: Food Processing. Market cap: Mid Cap.

Category scores

• labor: 15
• privacy: 65
• consumer: 40
• environment: 10
• humanRights: 30

Documented incidents (3)

• Largest water polluter in US (high, 2022) — Environment America report found Tyson dumped 371 million lbs of pollutants into US waterways over 5 years—more than ExxonMobil and Dow combined.
• COVID-19 meatpacking deaths (high, 2021) — Managers bet on how many workers would get COVID. At least 12,000+ workers infected and dozens died. Plants stayed open despite outbreaks.
• Child labor violations (high, 2023) — DOL found children as young as 13 working overnight cleaning shifts at Tyson plants through contractor Packers Sanitation Services.

Documented good deeds

• Hunger relief donations — Donated 100M+ lbs of protein to food banks through Meals That Matter program.

Ethical alternatives

• Applegate Farms — Humanely raised, no antibiotics or added hormones. Transparent sourcing.
• Beyond Meat — Plant-based protein with 90% less greenhouse gas emissions than beef.