Sarah Champion MP urgently calls for new legislation, following investigation on UK supermarket supply chains and Uyghur forced labour
Sarah Champion MP urgently calls for new legislation, following investigation on UK supermarket supply chains and Uyghur forced labour
Sarah Champion, Member of Parliament for Rotherham, asked an Urgent Question to the Government on the links between UK supermarket supply chains and Uyghur forced labour. [1] 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. [2]
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.
ENDS
Notes to Editors:
[1] Watch the Urgent Question here, from 13:30 03/12/2024 https://parliamentlive.tv/Event/Index/eceeec48-272e-48a8-a34a-6f49a9f2520f
[2] Watch the full investigation BBC Eye: Blood on the Shelves on YouTube here, and read the news article.