Social risk assessments and case studies of labour conditions in food production primarily focus on specific subpopulations, regions and commodities. To date, research has not systematically assessed labour conditions against international standards across diverse, complex food products. Here we combine data on production, trade, labour intensity and qualitative risk coding to quantitatively assess the risk of forced labour embedded in the US land-based food supply, building on our previous assessment of fruits and vegetables. We demonstrate that animal-based proteins, processed fruits and vegetables, and discretionary foods are major contributors to forced labour risk and that 62% of total forced labour risk stems from domestic production or processing. Our findings reveal the widespread risk of forced labour present in the US food supply and the necessity of collaborative action across all countries—high, middle and low income—to eliminate reliance on labour exploitation.

Locations where populations are most reliant on forests and their ecosystem services for subsistence and development are also areas where modern slavery persists. These issues are noted within the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), both target 15.2 and 8.7 respectively. Often activities using slavery perpetuate deforestation, bolstering a slavery‐environment nexus; which has been examined by comparing modern slavery estimates against environmental protection levels. This study assesses the relationship between tree loss and modern slavery focusing on four countries: Brazil, Ghana, Indonesia, and Mozambique. Previously mapped levels of tree loss and predicted future levels of loss have been compared against modern slavery estimates from the Global Slavery Index 2016 and illegal logging analyses to determine an estimate of the risk for slavery related tree loss. These results provide an insight in to the co‐occurrence between modern slavery and tree loss due to a number of activities that are highlighted, including mining, illegal logging, and agricultural practices. The co‐occurrence is both complex, and yet, beyond coincidental. Implications for both national and global policy are noted assessing the benefits that could be achieved by limiting tree loss and ending modern slavery; of benefit to both the conservation and antislavery communities.

Land-based fish-processing activities in coastal fringe areas and their social-ecological impacts have often been overlooked by marine scientists and antislavery groups. Using remote sensing methods, the location and impacts of fish-processing activities were assessed within a case study of Bangladesh’s Sundarbans mangrove forests. Ten fish-processing camps were identified, with some occurring in locations where human activity is banned. Environmental degradation included the removal of mangroves, erosion, and the destruction of protected areas. Previous studies have identified cases of labour exploitation and modern slavery occurring within the Sundarbans, and remote sensing was used to triangulate these claims by providing spatial and temporal analysis to increase the understanding of the operational trends at these locations. These findings were linked to the cyclical relationship between modern slavery and environmental degradation, whereby environmental damage is both a driver and result of workers subjected to modern slavery. Remote sensing can be used as an additional methodological tool to support the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and provide evidence to support the promotion of the “freedom dividend” which would have far-reaching economic, social, cultural, and environmental benefits. Satellite remote sensing is likely to play an important role going forward for understanding these issues but should be augmented with ground-based data collection methods.