U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced on October 20 the results of its first investigation into forced labor since 1996. The U.S. government announced that certain Chinese exports of stevia products to the United States involved forced labor and ordered a customs seizure.
Stevia is a popular sweetener and sugar substitute. U.S. Customs and Border Protection, part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, announced on October 20 that it has confirmed that stevia extracts and derivatives produced by China’s Inner Mongolia Hengzheng Group Baoanshu Nongongye Industry and Trade Company Limited, which may be or may have been imported into the United States using forced or indentured labor, are in violation of U.S. law. Customs and Border Protection has therefore instructed U.S. port authorities to seize the above-mentioned problematic imports and initiate forfeiture proceedings.
According to CBP, they investigated and issued Withhold Release Orders in 2016 after receiving a tip from a non-governmental organization. After investigating, the agency found conclusive evidence of the use of forced or indentured labor in the production of stevia extracts and derivatives by the Mongolian Hengzheng Group’s Baobao Swamp Agro-Industrial and Trade Company, and issued the Withhold Release Orders.
In this regard, CBP notes that the use of forced labor to import products into the United States poses a direct threat to the U.S. economy, as law-abiding U.S. companies are forced to compete unfairly with Chinese companies that use forced labor to produce cheaply. Today’s findings tell U.S. importers who fail to eradicate forced labor from their supply chains that their shipments may be subject to seizure and confiscation,” said Brenda Smith, Executive Assistant Director of the Bureau’s Office of Trade. This action will encourage importers to scrutinize their supply chains to ensure they meet the U.S. government’s humane and ethical standards.”
Recently, U.S. Customs and Border Protection seized a shipment of products from Xinjiang that involved forced labor.
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