A New York Times investigation has uncovered the secret ingredient in your Ben & Jerry’s ice cream — modern slavery. DNYUZ reports that Bonsucro, the company which sets the industry standard for sugar production, certified the mills that supply brands such as Unilever and Coca-Cola. However, the investigation revealed that Bonsucro’s audits are flawed, allowing mills to hide abusive labor practices, including debt bondage, child labor, and coerced hysterectomies among female workers.

Forced into child marriage

Interviews revealed women in Maharashtra cutting sugar cane for these mills endure brutal conditions. These women are often forced into underage marriages so that they can cut sugar with their husbands. They are also pressured by contractors to get hysterectomies to eliminate common ailments like painful periods. And as if undergoing invasive surgery isn’t enough, procuring the money for these surgeries often leads to debt bondage by contractors.

Anita Bhaisahab Waghmare, a sugar cane cutter in her 40s who has worked since she was 13 for a contractor of the Bonsucro-certified Dalmia mill, said:

“My working conditions in the sugar cane fields led me to have a hysterectomy,”

Despite these issues, both the Dalmia and NSL mills in the state of Maharashtra received or are in the process of being certified by Bonsucro. So, what gives?

Contracted Bonsucro auditors say they don’t get many chances to speak to workers. Interviews and internal documents reveal that factory executives tightly control the inspection process. Auditors often rely on farm lists provided by mill executives, raising concerns about selective auditing. Bonsucro’s CEO, Danielle Morley, acknowledged the flaws, calling the practice of handpicking farms “problematic.”

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