Guest The Pom Queen Posted August 31, 2015 Share Posted August 31, 2015 NESTLE is facing a major class action over allegations the Swiss company uses slave labour and human trafficking to produce its popular Fancy Feast cat food. An investigation published last week by the New York Times revealed systematic abuse of workers, mainly men and boys from Cambodia and Myanmar, trafficked over the border with the promise of work and held in bondage on Thai fishing boats. Boys as young as 15, many of whom don’t even know how to swim, work 20-hour days in dangerous and filthy conditions on unregistered “ghost ships”, and suffer beatings or even murder for minor transgressions. According to a 2009 United Nations survey of 50 Cambodian men and boys sold to Thai fishing boats, 29 said they had witnessed their captain or a crew member kill a worker. The slaves were sold to the fishing boats for about 10,000-15,000 baht each — roughly $390-$590. “Life at sea is cheap,” Human Rights Watch’s Asia division deputy director Phil Robertson told the New York Times. “And conditions out there keep getting worse.” Most survive on a single bowl of rice a day, and serious infections from open sores constantly exposed to the elements are rife. “By hiding this from public view, Nestle has effectively tricked millions of consumers into supporting and encouraging slave labour on floating prisons,” said Steve Berman, managing partner of US law firm Hagens Berman. “It’s a fact that the thousands of purchasers of its top-selling pet food products would not have bought this brand had they known the truth — that hundreds of individuals are enslaved, beaten or even murdered in the production of its pet food.” http://www.news.com.au/finance/business/nestle-faces-class-action-lawsuit-over-alleged-slave-labour-used-to-produce-fancy-feast/story-fnkgdhrc-1227505957209 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken Posted September 2, 2015 Share Posted September 2, 2015 There's a shop near me that has a board outside advertising their price for Fancy Feast. I must have first seen that board 3 years ago and wondered ever since about what it is they're selling. Cat food huh? Well now I know. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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