An export powerhouse that provides much of America’s vegetables, the Mexican produce industry in recent years has followed up on some promised reforms aimed at preventing the abuse of farmworkers. But a recent move by the Biden administration accusing two large Mexican agribusinesses of forced labor abuses has brought fresh scrutiny of the industry.
The administration is blocking all tomato shipments from the agribusinesses based in the Mexican state of San Luis Potosí, under a “withhold release order” handed down in late October by U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
According to a Times investigation, the businesses — Agropecuarios Tom and Horticola Tom — have shipped in the last year millions of pounds of tomatoes to U.S.-based distributors that supply supermarkets across the country, including Walmart and Albertsons.
