Germany's Bahlsen biscuit empire has issued an apology following the release of a report that revealed the company utilized significantly more forced laborers than previously acknowledged during the Nazi era. This revelation comes after Verena Bahlsen, the family heiress, caused public outcry in 2019 by stating that the firm treated and compensated forced laborers comparably to German workers during World War II. However, a recent study conducted by two historians has identified nearly 800 individuals, predominantly from Poland and Ukraine, who were compelled to work for the company, a figure substantially higher than the earlier estimate of 200 to 250.
In response, the Bahlsen family has described the findings as 'uncomfortable and painful,' expressing remorse for not addressing this historical truth sooner. 'We as a family did not pose the obvious question of how our company was able to get through World War II,' the family stated on Tuesday. The company, established at the end of the 19th century, relied on these forced laborers to produce supplies for German soldiers during the war. 'Our ancestors...took advantage of the system in the Nazi period,' the family acknowledged, characterizing the company's actions as 'unforgivable.' Verena Bahlsen quickly apologized for her 'thoughtless' remarks in 2019 and departed from the company three years later.
Founded by Verena Bahlsen's great-grandfather at the close of the 19th century, the biscuit company was already known to have employed several hundred laborers, mostly women, who were forced to work under Hitler's regime from 1943 to 1945. The new study now indicates that the use of forced labor extended over a longer period, from 1940 to 1945.
