Customer Sues Costco, Claims Workers In Shrimp Farms Are Trafficked And Mistreated

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(Photos in the Sunset)

A woman in California is suing Costco over its shrimp, alleging that the company sells shrimp from Thailand that is raised by workers who have been trafficked and are forced to work without pay. In her complaint, the lead plaintiff says that Costco is misleading its customers about the origins of the shrimp it sells.

The lawsuit also names two lesser-known companies, which are the entities responsible for getting the shrimp to Costco in the first place. The complaint reports from the news and from an advocacy organization, the Environmental Justice Foundation.

In the big picture, the suit claims that the hundreds of thousands of workers needed to keep the seafood industry running in Thailand are brought to work there on false pretenses and treated poorly. While the shrimp are farmed, workers must go out to sea to catch fish to feed them.

“Plaintiff and other California consumers care about the origin of the products they purchase and the conditions under which the products are farmed, harvested or manufactured,” the complaint says.

Costco Sued Over Claims Shrimp Harvested With Slave Labor [Bloomberg]

by Laura Northrup via Consumerist