U.S. Says It Has Evidence of Forced Labor in Chinese Sweetener

(Bloomberg) — The U.S. said it found ࢀœconclusive evidenceࢀ that a Chinese company used forced labor to make extracts of the sweetener stevia, with American ports now directed to seize any shipments. Customs and Border Protection now has ࢀœconclusive evidenceࢀ that Inner Mongolia Hengzheng Group Baoanzhao Agriculture, Industry and Trade Co. used convict, forced or indentured labor to make the products and that theyࢀ™re being or are likely to be imported to the U.S., the agency said in an statement Tuesday. Previously, in 2016, the agency temporarily detained these shipments based on ࢀœreasonable but inconclusive proofࢀ of forced labor. The…