Correspondence
Email sent to the press contacts for Aldi in France.
The email described supply chain connections between the company's supplier, Cité Marine, and the use of Uyghur forced labor in the Chinese seafood processing plants Qingdao Tianyuan and Qingdao Lian Yang. The email asked: Could you confirm whether white fish sourced from Qingdao Tianyuan or Qingdao Lian Yang has been used in any of the seafood products sold by Aldi since 2018?
Marina Fuhrmann, Junior Manager CR Competence Center at Aldi Nord, emailed a statement: "At ALDI, we are committed to respecting human rights and improving living as well as working conditions throughout all our supply chains. We’re focusing on any adverse impact on human rights that we might cause, contribute to or are linked to. Therefore, we are taking these allegations very seriously, and we are in close contact with all relevant suppliers to get more information. Furthermore, we are in the process of conducting internal investigations to understand the extent of the allegations and evaluate the cause to take appropriate actions. Until we have clarity on the described matter, we refrain from further business activities with the described production sites. ALDI maintains a rigorous due diligence process, which we regularly review and revise according to the principle of continuous improvement. Any reported instances of forced labour will be followed up on at the earliest opportunity, with appropriate corrective actions and business consequences being imposed if necessary. We appreciate the direct exchange. Further details to support our investigations are welcome."