U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said Oct. 20 that it found “conclusive evidence” a Chinese company used forced labor to process the sweetener stevia, and has ordered U.S. ports to seize all shipments.
After an investigation, CBP said it had determined that Inner Mongolia Hengzheng Group Baoanzhao Agriculture, Industry and Trade Co. (Baoanzhao) used convict, forced, or indentured labor to produce stevia extracts and derivatives, the agency said in a statement on Oct. 20. It added that those products are being, or are likely to be imported to the United States. Stevia is a plant extract used as a sweetener in sodas and other foods.
