The food we consume each day has likely been tainted by modern day slavery. In this article, you can read about the major agricultural industries that profit off of forced labor. When shopping for items that contain these raw materials, be sure to do some research. Did the food come from a country where modern day slavery is common? Does the brand have a bad reputation for the treatment of its workers? Continue reading to be aware of which food items could have been grown or harvested by slaves.

Sugarcane

Sugar is an ingredient that is nearly impossible to avoid. Unfortunately, it is frequently produced through forced labor. While we all know that sweet treats like candy bars, ice cream, and cake are loaded with sugar, the average consumer might not know that foods such as bread, salad dressings, cereal, milk substitutes, and ketchup are often just as sugary. While this might be disheartening, it is important to remember that as consumers, we can use our buying power to support companies that use ethically sourced and processed sugar.

The countries that use the most forced labor to produce and refine sugarcane are Belize, Cambodia, Colombia, El Salvador, Pakistan Bolivia, Brazil, Burma, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, India, Kenya, Mexico, Paraguay, Philippines, Thailand, Uganda, and Vietnam. If your sugary foods are sourced from any of these countries, it is important to be aware that forced labor might have been involved.

Cocoa

Chocolate is one of those foods that makes your mouth water just thinking about it. Unfortunately, the thousands of children forced to harvest cocoa do not have the same experience when thinking about chocolate. Child labor is extremely prevalent in the chocolate industry, especially for the dangerous task of using machetes to harvest cocoa pods. Adults and children alike work upwards of twelve hours a day in the hot sun just so that we can enjoy a chocolatey treat. Fortunately, there are many fair-trade chocolate brands that work to ensure that cocoa farmers are treated with dignity and afforded a safe workplace. You can read our interview with Divine Chocolate, a Fairtrade Certified chocolate brand, here.

The countries with the most forced labor in the chocolate industry include Brazil, Cameroon, Ghana, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Côte d’Ivoire, and Nigeria.

Coffee

Few people can say they are not addicted to coffee, but even fewer are aware of its dark side. Coffee is one of the leading industries for modern day slavery today. The next time you shop for a cup of joe, ask your barista where the coffee was sourced. If the answer is Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Côte d’Ivoire, El Salvador, Guatemala, Guinea, Honduras, Kenya, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Uganda, or Vietnam, you should be wary, as these countries are known for using forced labor to grow and harvest coffee beans. Look for a Fairtrade or B Corp icon on your next shopping trip to ensure that the farmers involved in making your coffee were paid fairly for their labor.

Cotton

If you have ever bought cotton garments, you have likely supported modern day slavery. Forced labor is extremely commonplace in the harvesting of cotton, which is why countless fast-fashion brands rely on the plant to produce cheap clothes. The next time you see a cotton t-shirt being sold for $4.99, stop and think about why it is so cheap. Is it likely that the person who picked the cotton used to make that shirt is being paid a fair wage if you are paying so little? It is common for forced labor to be used to harvest cotton from Argentina, Azerbaijan, Brazil, Egypt, India, Pakistan, Malawi, Benin, Burkina Faso, China, Kyrgyz Republic, Mali, Turkey, Zambia, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan. Fortunately, even fast-fashion companies are boycotting cotton from Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan, as these countries participate in state-sponsored slavery. This means that the government forces its citizens to pick cotton each year.

Tobacco

If you or a loved one are looking for yet another reason to quit smoking, look no further. The tobacco industry is laden with forced labor. In fact, there are no fair-trade certified tobacco brands. If your cigarette came from Argentina, Brazil, Cambodia, Malawi, Indonesia, Kenya, Kyrgyz Republic, Lebanon, Mexico, Mozambique, Nicaragua, Philippines, Tanzania, Uganda, Vietnam, or Zambia, there is a high likelihood that slave labor was used to make it.

Sources:

https://www.dol.gov/sites/dolgov/files/ILAB/ListofGoods.pdf

https://www.unfairtobacco.org/en/tobacco-questions/is-there-any-fairtrade-tobacco/