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- cross-posted to:
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Summary
An investigation revealed that “Italian” tomato purees sold in UK and German supermarkets likely contain tomatoes grown in China’s Xinjiang province, linked to forced labor involving Uyghur and other minorities.
Testing found 17 products, many from Italian supplier Petti, containing Chinese tomatoes despite labels suggesting Italian origins.
Supermarkets disputed the findings, though some, like Lidl, admitted past use of Chinese tomatoes.
The EU is strengthening laws to address forced labor in supply chains, while critics warn the UK’s weaker regulations risk making it a “dumping ground” for such products.
It’s really no different in the tomato-loving U.S.
It’s picked by migrant workers, mostly from Latin America, who get treated like shit and send the tiny amount of pay they get home, so they’re pretty much entirely beholden to the farm (which is a huge corporation) to feed and house them. They also will get deported if they leave the farm and are noticed by law enforcement.
They’re not literally slaves, but it’s damn near close.
Note the camp here is called “better than some.”
https://www.justice4all.org/tomato-camp/
In Canada, we have codified and legally endorsed all that. Employers have an absurd amount of power over “migrant workers”. Abuse is baked right into the system.