Forced Labor May Be Common In The U.S. Food Chain, New Study Says

Out of all food products (excluding seafood) that were sold in the U.S. and produced by forced labor, 62% of those products were likely produced in the U.S., the study concludes, with the highest risk coming from the production of animal-based proteins, processed fruits and vegetables and discretionary foods—products like sweeteners, coffee, wine, and beer—which are all handpicked or require significant processing.

That means, more often than not, when forced labor produces the food Americans eat, it likely happens within the U.S. instead of at foreign locations that import food to the U.S., researchers said.

The authors of the paper believe that many people assume forced labor is happening mostly in foreign countries, which allows it to fly under the radar when it happens in the U.S.

They also note that the most effective tools used to prevent forced labor—trade bans and trade sanctions–focus on imports and foreign sources.

The authors said that poverty, language barriers and precarious immigration statuses put many U.S. food workers at risk of being forced to work—-for example, migrant workers using seasonal agricultural visas are tied to a specific employer, which gives them less freedom to leave if they are abused or have their wages withheld.

The study—using guidance from the International Labor Organization—defines forced labor as “situations in which persons are coerced to work through the use of violence or intimidation, or by more subtle means such as accumulated debt, retention of identity papers, or threats of denunciation to immigration authorities.”