A San Diego congressman has presented a new bill that seeks to impose mandatory audits on retailers to ensure their products have not been produced using child or forced labor.

Juan Vargas

Democrat Juan Vargas, who himself is the son of Mexican immigrants and was born on a California egg ranch, introduced the 'Stop Blood Tomatoes Act' to the House of Representatives on Friday.

The bill only applies to companies with gross annual revenues above US$1 billion, and involves an independent audit of supply chains in the first quarter that covers the entire previous fiscal year.

If independent auditors cannot be certain the child or forced labor is used in the supply chain, it will be able to determine "the company's products may have been produced with the use of child labor or forced labor".

The bill also contemplates requiring audited companies to post the results in a "clear and conspicuous" way on their internet homepage, stating either "Products are free of child labor and forced labor" or "Products may have been produced using child labor or forced labor".

"To shame some of the companies to do the right thing. That's what I'm trying to do with this bill," Vargas told the LA Times.

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