New slavery-related investigation to focus on Costco execs

On behalf of its shareholders, securities law firm Faruqi & Faruqi, LLP is conducting an investigation into Costco Wholesale Corporation and some of the grocer’s key personnel, in search of any potential misconduct as it relates to purchasing shrimp from companies that reportedly rely on slave labor.

The investigation will hone in specifically on Costco’s officers and directors to see what kind of roles they played, if any, “in purchasing shrimp from companies in Thailand that rely on slave labor and subsequently selling the shrimp in the Costco’s stores,” explained the firm.

The law firm was prompted by a class action lawsuit filed in 2015 by a California resident against the wholesaler, which alleges that Costco purchased shrimp from Thailand-based producer Charoen Pokphand Foods Public Company Limited (CP Foods), a company that feeds its farmed shrimp with fishmeal purchased from other companies reportedly engaging in human rights abuses.

According to The Guardian and its coverage of human trafficking on Thai fishing vessels, CP Foods has admitted that slave labor exists in its supply chain. More about The Guardian report and the 2015 Costco lawsuit can be found here: http://www.seafoodsource.com/news/environment-sustainability/consumers-sue-u-s-wholesaler-thai-company-over-slave-labor

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