Nestlé admits slavery in Thailand while fighting child labour lawsuit in Ivory Coast

The company has won plaudits for its admission of forced labour in the Thai seafood industry but much of the supply chain remains hidden

It's hard to think of an issue that you would less like your company to be associated with than modern slavery. Yet last November Nestli(C), the world's largest foodmaker and one of the most recognisable household brands, went public with the news it had found forced labour in its supply chains in Thailand and that its customers were buying products tainted with the blood and sweat of poor, unpaid and abused migrant workers.

By independently disclosing that Nestli(C) customers had unwittingly bought products contaminated by the very worst labour abuses, the company said it was moving into a new era of self-policing of its own supply chains. A year-long investigation by the company confirmed media reports that the seafood industry in Thailand is riddled with forced labour and human trafficking and that slave labour was involved in the production of its Fancy Feast catfood brand.