An investigation by The Bureau of Investigative Journalism (TBIJ) reveals that Xinjiang cotton – banned in clothing and textiles due to the Uyghur Forced Labour Prevention Act (UFLPA) – has been repurposed through advances in biotechnology into detoxified cottonseed meal and fermented cotton-straw animal feed. These products are being used by major Chinese agricultural companies to raise billions of chickens, pigs, cattle, fish and other animals, which then enter global food supply chains. The report documents forced labour in Xinjiang’s cotton fields and the mass detention and state-led labour transfer schemes that have sent Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities to pick cotton and work in factories. A 2021 German investigation found that two-thirds of cotton in the southern Uyghur heartland is still hand-picked, contradicting Chinese claims of mechanisation. The UFLPA, enacted in 2022, bans imports of goods made in Xinjiang or containing inputs from Xinjiang, leading US Customs to detain more than $3.6 billion in goods【988440356254185†L84-L86】. But Chinese companies have invested heavily in detoxifying cottonseed, using microbes to remove gossypol and fermentation techniques to turn cotton straw into feed, enabling the material to bypass textile sanctions【988440356254185†L152-L170】.

The investigation tracks supply chains from cotton fields in Xinjiang to poultry and livestock factories across China and beyond. Chenguang Biotech Group, the top cottonseed processor, processes hundreds of millions of dollars of cottonseed annually through a Xinjiang subsidiary; the company was sanctioned by the U.S. under UFLPA in August 2023 after its marigold and chilli farming was linked to forced labour【988440356254185†L190-L199】. Chenguang sells to feed manufacturers Yihai Kerry (linked to Archer Daniels Midland), the Wen’s Food Group (Asia’s largest poultry producer and second-largest pig farmer), Guangdong Haid, and Thai conglomerate Charoen Pokphand Group (CP), among others【988440356254185†L190-L207】. CP operates joint ventures with the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps (XPCC), a paramilitary organisation sanctioned by the US; CP’s Urumqi feed mill uses labour transfer schemes that moved more than 240 young Uyghurs from southern Xinjiang during the Covid‑19 pandemic【988440356254185†L220-L231】. Social media evidence shows Uyghurs working at CP factories inside and outside Xinjiang, including CP’s Hubei plant, which supplies chicken to McDonald’s and KFC in China【988440356254185†L233-L236】. The investigation identifies seven other chicken plants in Liaoning, Shandong, Hubei and Tianjin where Xinjiang transfer workers produce poultry for CP and Taiwan’s Dachan Foods; together these plants slaughter nearly a billion chickens annually and supply chicken to KFC’s China arm【988440356254185†L257-L264】.

CP’s UK subsidiary, Westbridge Foods, imports meat from CP’s Chinese operations and supplies chicken to KFC in the UK as well as Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda, Aldi and Iceland【988440356254185†L266-L276】. Although retailers claim to avoid meat raised on Xinjiang feed, none could confirm whether their chicken, pork or seafood had been fed cottonseed meal. The Bureau notes that tracking cottonseed meal is difficult because mixing it with other ingredients obscures the isotopic “fingerprint” used in forensic cotton tests【988440356254185†L314-L327】. While some brands use forensic testing to detect Xinjiang cotton in textiles, there is no comparable monitoring for animal feed【988440356254185†L322-L329】. UFLPA targeted goods made from Xinjiang raw materials even outside the region, but cottonseed meal may slip through due to complexity of feed supply chains. Rights organisations say labour transfers from Xinjiang constitute state-imposed forced labour; videos show children and entire families still picking cotton by hand under coercive conditions【988440356254185†L92-L133】. Experts and former US officials call UFLPA the most powerful forced labour law in the world【988440356254185†L72-L79】, yet the article argues that enforcement needs to extend beyond textiles to cottonseed feed to prevent forced-labour cotton from entering global food markets. The investigation concludes that global food and fast-food companies must conduct rigorous due diligence and traceability beyond textiles to ensure that their supply chains do not include products grown or processed by forced labour in Xinjiang. A Chinese government spokesperson denies allegations of forced labour and claims the UFLPA interferes in China’s internal affairs【988440356254185†L86-L99】.

This case illustrates how corporate and governmental actors circumvent international sanctions by transforming raw materials into new products that fall outside existing prohibitions, emphasising the need for comprehensive supply chain transparency and enforcement across all industries. The complexity of tracing feed ingredients and the reluctance of companies to disclose supply chain details highlight the systemic challenges in eliminating forced labour from global trade. The involvement of major multinational food brands underscores the far-reaching impact of the Uyghur forced labour system, signalling that the fight against modern slavery requires vigilance across garment, feed, and food sectors.