A group of NGOs have sent a letter to separate seafood distributors and retailers asking for an update on their investigations into whether their supply chains were exposed to Uyghur or North Korean labor.
The letter calls for an update on the investigations companies said they were performing in the wake of multiple reports by the Outlaw Ocean Project on forced labor in seafood supply chains.
The letter was signed by 18 NGOs: Transitional Justice Working Group, Human Trafficking Legal Center, The Committee for Human Rights in North Korea, Advocates for Public Interest Law, HanVoice, The Citizens Alliance for North Korean Human Rights, Corporate Accountability Lab, International Corporate Accountability Roundtable, Humanity United Action, International Federation for Human Rights, Uyghur American Association, Anti-Slavery International, Uyghur Human Rights Project, Freedom United, Global Labor Justice, Investor Alliance for Human Rights, Campaign for Uyghurs, and Worker Rights Consortium.
“The findings on the investigations, which shed light on the use of state-imposed forced labor in your company’s seafood supply chain, are deeply concerning and demand immediate attention from all stakeholders in the industry,” the NGO letter, which was provided to SeafoodSource, states.
The first Outlaw Ocean report, published in October 2023, showcased evidence that seafood processed with Uyghur labor in China was making its way into the global seafood supply chain. That report led members of the seafood industry, foodservice distributors, and retailers – such as High Liner Foods, Albertsons, and Sysco – to cut ties from Chinese suppliers and pledge to commit to ridding the supply chain of Uyghur and other forms of forced labor.
The Outlaw Ocean report was follwed by a report released on February 2024 revealing extensive evidence that North Korean labor was also making its way into the seafood supply chain via multiple Chinese companies.
Once again, multiple companies, such as Trident, High Liner Foods, and Sysco, suspended relationships with the named companies and pledged to investigate their business dealings with the companies.
Now, the NGOs are asking some of the companies named in the reports to follow up on what progress they have made in the investigation.
“In 2023, Sysco stated it would investigate exposure to state-imposed forced labor in its downstream supply chains,” the NGO letter to Sysco states. “Given the severity of the harms reported and the gravity of the situation and the potential impact on human rights and environmental sustainability, we are keen to learn about the progress of these investigations into your company's seafood supply chain.”
A representative of Freedom United told SeafoodSource that letters have been sent to 13 different companies: Sysco, Trident Seafoods Corporation, Ahold Delhaize, Lidl, Albertsons, Metro Canada, Aldi South Group, Carrefor, Cite Marine, High Liner Foods, Nichirei Seafoods, Nomad Foods, and Young’s Seafood.
The NGOs said they specifically want an update on ...
