Palm Oil is Latest Commodity to Receive CBP Scrutiny
Since February 11th, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers have seized four shipments of palm oil in Baltimore due to information indicating that the palm oil was manufactured by forced labor, a form of modern slavery. The palm oil shipments are valued at nearly $2.5 million.
Palm oil is the latest commodity to receive scrutiny from CBP. With the passing of the Forced Labor Prevention Act (FLPA), which goes into effect in June, US Customs and Border Protection will seize any import into the United States that they suspect was produced whole or in part using forced labor. While the FLPA specifically targets imports originating from or passing through the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China (XUAR), the law represents a shifting of the burden of proof onto importers and a concerted effort to root out forced labor from global supply chains.
Policies governing global supply chains are changing fast. To learn more about how Sourcemap can help companies comply with supply chain due diligence requirements, download our Forced Labor Due Diligence Fact Sheet, and reach out to our team of experts.