Investigation highlights failure of UK laws to compel companies to address forced labour in supply chains
LONDON, 2nd December: The BBC today released an investigation (BBC Eye: Blood on the Shelves) alleging that “own-brand ‘Italian’ tomato purees sold in UK supermarkets appear to contain tomatoes grown and picked in China using forced labour”. According to the investigation, these include products sold in Asda, Tesco, Morrisons and Waitrose. The investigation highlights that China grows about a third of the world’s tomatoes and most Chinese tomatoes come from the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (Uyghur Region). Uyghurs and other Turkic and Muslim-majority peoples are subject to state-imposed forced labour across industries, brutal repression and intrusive surveillance by the Chinese Government. Human rights and legal experts have determined abuses in the Region as crimes against humanity and/or genocide. [1]
This is the latest exposé showing how UK consumers could be unwittingly buying everyday, high-street products made with forced labour. [2] It shows that the UK Government must introduce robust laws to compel companies to act, and hold them to account if they don’t.
Chloe Cranston, Anti-Slavery International’s Head of Thematic Advocacy Programmes who is featured at length in the documentary said “Nobody should be persecuted and forced to work against their will by a company or their government. But once again, we are presented with credible evidence suggesting that major retailers are failing to address human rights abuses in the supply chains of everyday products. The UK Government knows we need stronger laws to tackle modern slavery. And it’s time for it to act. It’s never been clearer that the Modern Slavery Act isn’t fit for purpose, and I urge Ministers to introduce robust new legislation as a matter of urgency.”
No law in the UK compels companies to conduct human rights due diligence on their supply chains and act when abuses are uncovered, or bans the import of goods made using forced labour. As the investigation highlights, legislation in the US, EU and elsewhere means that the UK is lagging behind and increasingly risks becoming a dumping ground for goods made using forced labour. [3] This investigation highlights how important it is for the UK Government to act swiftly and introduce stronger laws.
The UK’s Modern Slavery Act 2015 Transparency in Supply Chains clause has repeatedly been proven not to be fit for purpose and has failed to tackle the structural issues and root causes that lead people to be forced into labour. Relying on reporting requirements alone, the Act doesn’t have the teeth needed to compel companies to take meaningful action. As we approach the Act’s 10-year anniversary we call on the UK Government to introduce a suite of complementary legislation. This legislation should require corporations to prevent human rights abuses in their supply chains and, where these measures fail or cannot protect people from harm, stop the import of goods made with forced labour. [4]
Note to editors:
Watch the full investigation BBC Eye: Blood on the Shelves on YouTube here, and read the news article.
[1] UN Human Rights experts have determined the abuses may amount to crimes against humanity. Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have determined the repressive policies in the Uyghur Region amount to crimes against humanity. Leading experts on genocide have also determined elements of the abuses amount to genocidal intent.
[2] McDonald’s and supermarkets failed to spot slavery; Seafood sold in UK supermarkets may have a dark side – here’s why; Seafood sold in UK supermarkets may have a dark side – here’s why;
[3] Owing to the lack of independent monitoring in the Region, and meaningful access to the Region, under the 2023 US Uyghur Forced Labour Prevention Act, the presumption is that any goods produced of manufactured in the Region are done so using forced labour. Companies cannot import goods to the US produced in whole or in part from the Region or with Uyghur forced labour, unless they can prove that the goods were not made with forced labour.
In 2024, The EU introduced two laws that will impact the 17.3 million people estimated to be in forced labour in the private sector, and the estimated 3.9 million people exploited in state-imposed forced labour. The Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive and the Forced Labour Regulation together compel companies to conduct effective human rights and environmental due diligence on their supply chains and prevent the trade of goods made with forced labour.
[4] We recognise that no single measure will adequately challenge all forms of modern slavery, including forced labour but a holistic approach with a suite of complementary legislation is required:
- We need the UK Government to uphold its duty to protect people from exploitation and modern slavery and force businesses to take responsibility for protecting workers in their supply chains. This means introducing a new law that’s more than just a tickbox exercise and actually requires corporations to put an end to human rights abuses. Anti-Slavery International calls for a Business, Human Rights and Environment Act that would compel businesses to take meaningful action.
- There are times when these proactive measures cannot protect workers from harm, such as when a government imposes forced labour on its people. In these cases, we need a law that prevents the import of goods made with forced labour and that would trigger rapid action that can put things right for the workers who have been harmed.
Anti-Slavery International is the world’s oldest human rights campaign, founded in 1839. It exists to challenge contemporary forms of slavery wherever they exist by tackling modern slavery’s root causes. Working in partnership with survivors, experts and its members, Anti-Slavery International manages projects in countries worldwide to help communities understand and eliminate the causes and adverse effects of modern slavery through legislative change, research and advocacy.
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