Tönnies and NRW Resolve Legal Disputes Over 2020 COVID-19 Outbreak

The settlement ends over 1,000 lawsuits, with €3.2 million allocated to social projects for workers in need.

The Tönnies Group and the state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) have reached an out-of-court settlement, resolving disputes stemming from a COVID-19 outbreak at Tönnies' Rheda-Wiedenbrück facility in 2020.
As part of the agreement, NRW will pay €3.2 million into a trust fund dedicated to social initiatives supporting workers in challenging conditions; Tönnies has waived any direct claim to the funds.
The settlement brings an end to more than 1,000 ongoing legal cases, including disputes over wage compensation and damages related to quarantine orders and operational restrictions imposed during the pandemic.
Tönnies will drop all lawsuits against NRW, local municipalities, and the Gütersloh district, while NRW will reimburse the company €108,000 in legal fees.
The Tönnies Group will rebrand as Premium Food Group starting January 2025, marking a new chapter following years of public scrutiny over labor conditions and pandemic-related controversies.