'Red flags missed' | McDonald's & supermarket factory failed to spot signs of modern slavery

A BBC exposé has revealed that modern slavery victims were being forced to work at a McDonald’s branch in Cambridge, as well as a factory supplying six major supermarkets in the UK. 

The investigation, published on Monday, revealed that 16 individuals had been forced by a criminal gang to work either at the fast-food outlet or at a factory that supplied goods to supermarkets including Asda, Co-op, M&S, Sainsbury’s, Tesco, and Waitrose. 

According to the report, the exploitation spanned more than four years, during which clear signs of slavery went unnoticed.

Slavery red flags missed by employers

According to the BBC, several key indicators of exploitation were missed by both McDonald’s and the factory, including: