Marjee POULTRY MS, LLC Quality Every Step of the Way MAR-IAC POULTRY MS LLC PRESS RELEASE, HATTIESBURG, MISSISSIPPI, July 19, 2023 ~ On the night of July 14, 2023, an employee on the sanitation crew at Mar-Iac Poultry MS LLC (Mar-Jac MS) plant suffered a fatal injury when he became entangled in machinery he was cleaning. The company immediately reported the incident to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), and they ‘commenced an investigation, which continues with the company’s full cooperation. This tragedy was compounded when we learned that the victim was a minor, Due to an unprecedentedly tight labor market Mar-Jac MS relies on staffing companies to fill positions at its facility. These companies’ contracts with Mar-Jac MS require them to verify that every applicant is legally qualified to work before they start any job. This includes verifying their identity (including age) and immigration status using the I-9 form prescribed by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and through the government’s E-Verify system. Mar-Jac MS relies on these companies to complete these checks and it is a condition of their contracts with Mar-Jac MS that they do so for every job applicant, without exception. Although the investigation is still ongoing, it appears now that this worker was less than 18 years of age and should not have been hired. Mar-Jac MS would never knowingly put any employee, and certainly not a minor, in harm’s way but it appears, at this point in the investigation, that this individual’s age and identity were misrepresented on the paperwork. ‘There are many hardworking young people in Mississippi and elsewhere who are eager to ‘work to support themselves and their families. But the law does not allow those under the age of 18 to perform certain dangerous tasks and Mar-Jac MS is dedicated to complying with the law. We are devastated at the loss of life, and deeply regret that an underage individual was hired without our knowledge. The company is undertaking a thorough audit with the staffing companies to ensure that this kind of error never happens again. Hae P.0.Box991 * 1301 James Street +» Hattiesburg, Mississippi 39401 + (601) 544-3141 00526978