FGV Johor Bulkers Sdn Bhd

Palm Oil Producer FGV Holdings Berhad Accused of Forced Labor Practices | Eater

"One of the world’s largest palm oil producers, operating roughly 800,000 acres of plantations in Malaysia and employing an estimated 20,000 migrant workers, is the subject of petitions filed with U.S. Customs and Border Protection seeking a ban on its imports. Nonprofits allege systemic forced labor and 'slave-like' conditions on its farms, including debt bondage, passport confiscation, restrictions on leaving the property, and possible child labor—claims reflected in prior watchdog reports and the U.S. State Department’s 2019 Trafficking in Persons report. The producer supplies palm oil to major food and consumer-goods companies, prompting mixed responses from buyers (some have told suppliers to stop sourcing from it, others have urged the company to fix issues, and some say they limit purchases to sources outside the U.S.). Although the company pledged in January to correct human-rights abuses, advocates say reports of labor violations persist, against a backdrop of broader palm-oil industry concerns such as deforestation, endangered-habitat loss, and displacement of indigenous communities." - Brenna Houck