In December 2024, a BBC investigation alleged that several own-brand “Italian” tomato purees sold in UK supermarkets (including Asda, Tesco, Morrisons and Waitrose) appear to contain tomatoes grown and picked in China. This puts them at extremely high risk of having been made with Uyghur forced labour. We know our current laws in the UK aren’t strong enough to prevent goods with forced labour from entering the UK, but what can we do about it?
The investigation outlined that most Chinese tomatoes come from the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (Uyghur Region), where forced labour is widely documented in tomato production. Therefore, it’s highly likely that tomatoes from China have been picked and processed by people forced to work. This is because Uyghurs and other Turkic and Muslim-majority peoples are subject to state-imposed forced labour, 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.
This recent BBC investigation is just the latest exposé to demonstrate how UK consumers are purchasing everyday food items without knowing that they could have been made with forced labour. It shows that the UK Government must introduce robust laws to compel companies to act and hold them to account if they don’t.
Why the UK must introduce import bans to end forced labour
Forced labour remains a significant global issue despite being firmly prohibited by international law. There are an estimated 21.2 million people forced to work at the hands of private companies or governments in the world. This abuse impacts supply chains at all levels, and shockingly, such products can end up on UK shelves. We know that industries such as textiles, electronics, and agriculture – including tomatoes – are particularly at risk. Millions of workers are trapped in exploitative conditions and deprived of their basic human rights.
The UK Government must act decisively to tackle this ongoing crisis, and introduce import bans to make sure goods made (in whole or in part) or transported using forced labour do not end up in the UK market.
Why reporting initiatives alone have failed to tackle forced labour
The UK Modern Slavery Act 2015 has fallen short. It is simply not fit for purpose, to truly tackle forced labour. It focuses on making companies report actions they take to avoid forced labour in their supply chains, but doesn’t actually compel them to take any of these actions! It’s no surprise, then, that despite the Modern Slavery Act, companies continue to profit from goods tainted with forced labour with impunity.
Stronger measures are needed. We need laws that require corporations to prevent human rights abuses in their supply chains and import controls to stop goods made with forced labour from circulating.
How import controls – including import bans – can make a difference
We know that import bans, alongside strong due diligence laws, are really effective at tackling forced labour. Introducing import control legislation would stop companies profiting from forced labour in their value chains, help victims of forced labour access swift remedy, and ensure the UK keeps pace with developments worldwide.
If the UK Government is serious about tackling forced labour, it must introduce import bans.
And the UK public agrees. A YouGov poll showed that 82% of respondents support an import control law in the UK*. A well-designed import ban law would ensure that when harm is found, companies must remedy this situation.
In the US, where the laws have been in place the longest, thousands of shipments have been targeted. And over $200 million in compensation has been paid to victims of forced labour as a result of import bans. Importantly, in the EU, a product ban law has been passed, preventing the trade of goods made with forced labour.
Import bans can also be particularly effective at combating state-imposed forced labour in places where governments force people to work against their will – such as Turkmenistan and the Uyghur Region in China. Blocking goods from these areas would send a strong message that the UK will not support this type of state-sanctioned abuse. Read more in our position paper on import bans.
The UK is clearly falling behind in global efforts to end modern slavery. Without urgent action, the UK will become a dumping ground for products tainted by forced labour. Unable to sell products made using forced labour in the EU and US, shipments could simply be turned back from ports and sent to the UK, where they would be welcomed.
The urgent need for import bans in the UK
Introducing measures to drive better business action, like import bans, is an ethical imperative, taking us one step closer to a world where everyone can live and work in freedom and be paid fairly for that work. But it is also essential for economic sustainability. Addressing this issue is crucial for building a fairer global economy. Without these critical laws, the UK continues to fail workers and be complicit in supporting forced labour through the goods it imports. Companies will profit from this abuse and UK consumers will still be unwittingly buying goods made by people in forced labour. We cannot afford to wait. Workers from all around the world are looking to the UK to make sure it is not condoning forced labour. The UK must act now.
Sign now to support a new law banning the import of goods made with forced labour into the UK ⬇️
*Note on YouGov polling: YouGov Plc conducted polling for Anti-Slavery International. The total sample size was 2,351 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between 20th and 21st March 2024. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all GB adults (aged 18+). YouGov is a member of the British Polling Council and abides by its rules.