Nestle confirms suppliers' labor abuse

Impoverished migrant workers in Thailand have been lured by false promises and forced to catch and process fish that ends up in the supply chains of global food giant Nestle.

The unusual disclosure comes from Geneva-based Nestle itself, which in an act of self-policing announced the conclusions of its yearlong internal investigation on Monday. The study found virtually all US and European companies buying seafood from Thailand are exposed to the same risks of abuse in their supply chains.

Nestle, among the biggest food companies in the world, launched the investigation in December after reports from news outlets and nongovernmental organizations connected brutal and largely unregulated working conditions to their shrimp, prawns and Purina brand pet foods. Its findings echo those of The Associated Press in reports this year on slavery in the seafood industry that have resulted in the rescue of more than 2,000 fishermen.