“Picked by slaves: coffee crisis brews in Brazil”, 12^th December 2019

…A Thomson Reuters Foundation investigation over six months uncovered extensive slave labor running largely unchecked in Brazil’s billion-dollar coffee industry despite years of efforts to clean up the sector - which could now put sales at risk.

Exclusively obtained data, analysis of public records, and dozens of interviews revealed coffee produced by forced labor was stamped slavery-free by top certification schemes and sold at a premium to major brands such as Starbucks and Nespresso.

Labor inspectors said they were hampered by a shortage of staff, money and political will - and fear abuse is rising even though consumer demand for slave-free products is increasing.

Prosecutor Mateus Biondi said he was alarmed by the number of investigations into labor violations in the main coffee growing area of Minas Gerais in recent years, but that such efforts did not match up to the true scale of the problem.

“The numbers are scary,” said Biondi, regional anti-slavery coordinator for Minas Gerais, referring to new data - revealed by the Thomson Reuters Foundation - showing an average of about 25 probes per year into coffee plantations since early 2014…