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A new study reveals that even diets recommended for health and sustainability can inadvertently contribute to the global problem of forced labor, prompting calls for a more ethical approach to food sourcing and consumption.
Many Americans base their food choices on cost and nutritional value, but increasingly, personal values like animal welfare and environmental impact also play a role. Now, groundbreaking research from Tufts University and the University of Nottingham has quantified the risk of forced labor embedded within the ingredients of commonly recommended U.S. diets, raising critical questions about the true cost of healthy eating.
The International Labor Institution estimates that 27.6 million people are subjected to forced labor globally, and the food sector is a significant contributor. This first-of-its-kind study analyzed five distinct dietary patterns: the Healthy U.S.-Style Diet, the Healthy Mediterranean-Style Diet, the Healthy Vegetarian Diet, the 2019 EAT-Lancet Planetary Health Diet, and the current average American diet. Researchers assessed the forced labor risk associated with over 200 commonly consumed foods, considering their typical origins, harvesting methods, and processing procedures within the U.S. supply chain.
“Our findings demonstrate that recommended healthy diets can present a higher or lower risk of forced labor compared to current American eating habits, depending on the specific food combinations,” stated a senior author of the report.
Protein, Fruits, and Seafood: Key Areas of Concern
The study pinpointed protein sources – including meat, dairy, and seafood – as the largest contributors to forced labor risk across all five diets.Though, the specific drivers of risk varied. When examining livestock, researchers factored in the potential for exploitation during slaughter, meat processing, and the production of animal feed. Similarly, fruits requiring manual harvesting and nuts needing hand-shelling were identified as high-risk categories. the fishing industry emerged as notably vulnerable, exhibiting a substantially elevated risk compared to many other food sectors.
The Healthy Mediterranean-Style diet, characterized by plant-based foods, seafood, and moderate amounts of dairy and red meat, and the Healthy U.S.-Style diet, with its balanced mix of nutrient-dense foods and relatively high dairy intake, both demonstrated a greater risk of forced labor than the typical American diet. Seafood, combined with red meat and dairy, substantially increased risk in the Mediterranean pattern, while dairy was the primary contributor to risk in the U.S.-Style pattern.
In contrast, the healthy Vegetarian diet – rich in beans, soy, nuts, seeds, fruits, vegetables, and whole grains – and the Planetary Health diet, which prioritizes plant-based foods with minimal meat and dairy to lessen environmental impact, exhibited lower overall risks. Though, these diets showed disproportionately high risk associated with nuts and seeds.
Implications for Policy and Purchasing
While individual dietary changes alone won’t eradicate forced labor, the study’s implications are far-reaching. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which influence the food served in public programs like school lunches, and the growing adoption of the Planetary Health Diet in city purchasing policies, highlight the potential for systemic change.
“We hope our work serves as a starting point for communities to shape dietary transitions that promote equity and justice alongside health and sustainability,” said Jessica Decker Sparks, Assistant Professor at the Friedman School, Tufts University.
Experts emphasize that empowering workers is crucial to addressing this issue. “The best way to reduce forced labor in our food supply chains is to let workers lead in shaping solutions and to back those solutions with legally binding agreements that protect them from retaliation,” Sparks added. She pointed to programs like the Fair food Program as examples of prosperous worker-led initiatives. Moreover, trade policies that prohibit imports produced with forced labor are essential to creating a level playing field for companies committed to ethical practices.
[Journalreference:Rodríguez-HuertaEetal(2025)CurrentandrecommendeddietsintheUSAhaveembeddedforcedlabourrisk[Journalreference:Rodríguez-HuertaEetal(2025)CurrentandrecommendeddietsintheUSAhaveembeddedforcedlabourriskNature Food. doi.org/10.1038/s43016-025-01242-8.]
