MP asked an Urgent Question
to the Government on the links between UK supermarket supply
chains and Uyghur forced labour. She called for stronger
labelling standards for supermarket products, as well as forced
labour import bans to give the public confidence that they are
buying goods free of slavery and abuse.
This is following a BBC investigation ‘Blood on the Shelves: The
Secrets of Xinjiang's Tomato Industry”, which found that major UK
supermarkets are selling tomato products likely coming from the
Xinjiang Autonomous Uyghur Region (XUAR). This is despite product
labels misinforming British consumers that they were purchasing
“Italian” products.
In the XUAR, egregious human rights abuses take place every day,
underpinned by a system of state-imposed forced labour. An
estimated several hundred thousand are involved in the production
of tomatoes against their will. The UN has reported forced
labour, torture and abuse in Xinjiang.
Survivors of the tomato fields cite having to meet impossible
daily quotas, with physical torture, such as electrocution, used
as punishment for failing to meet targets. A survivor reported
extreme conditions, causing people to pass out in the heat, as
well as the death of workers.
The public has been unknowingly purchasing slave-made products,
in the belief that they were coming from a different country
altogether.
Commentating, Sarah said:
The UK's weak and confusing product label regulation has allowed
linguistic ‘sleight of hand' to occur with the aim of misleading
consumers.
We need stronger labelling standards that give consumers more
information on the sourcing countries of pre-packed products.
Supermarkets have been complicit in putting profits above human
rights and I hope members of the British public do the right
thing and make their mark with their wallet.
Sadly, this investigation is just the latest in a long line of
reports that show that UK supply chains are awash with Uyghur
forced labour.
The UK's Modern Slavery Act is unfit for purpose. We are a global
outlier when it comes to legislation to prevent human rights
abuses. This makes us a dumping ground for dirty products no one
else will touch.
We urgently need a forced labour import ban and mandatory human
rights due diligence legislation to give the public confidence
that they are buying goods free of slavery and abuse.
