KUALA LUMPUR (March 9): The US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has seized four shipments of Malaysian palm oil in Baltimore since Feb 11 due to information indicating that the commodity was manufactured by forced labour. In a statement on its website on Tuesday (March 8), the US CBP said the palm oil shipments are valued at nearly US$2.5 million (RM10.5 million). The US CBP, however, did not identify the Malaysian company which produced the palmitic acid in its statement. Palmitic acid is palm oil refined into a powder that can be easily incorporated into food, beverages, and skin and health care products. The US CBP said all four shipments of palmitic acid were produced in Malaysia and destined to a processing facility in Delaware.
