Correspondence
Email sent to the Carrefour Group press office.
The email described supply chain connections to Carrefour fish supplier Cité Marine, and Uyghur forced labor at Cité Marine's supplier Qingdao Tianyuan Aquatic Products. The email also asked for comment.
Carrefour Press Office responded: "Carrefour firmly condemns the use of forced labour in its supply chain and ensures that its suppliers respect all human rights. Carrefour systematically carries out social audits in the factories that supply it. As a result, in 2022, 1,418 social audits were carried out, 17% of which gave rise to alerts that led to immediate action, particularly on working conditions, remuneration policy and occupational health. Following your alert, and in addition to the global audit policy, we will immediately carry out investigations at Cité Marine and take the necessary measures in the event of non-compliance."
The Outlaw Ocean Project emailed the Carrefour Group press office to say that according to our research, Carrefour Italy stocks ‘Capitan Findus’ fish products, produced by Northseafood Holland BV. Northseafood Holland BV has imported shipments of fish from the processor, Yantai Sanko Fisheries Co. Ltd., based in China. Yantai Sanko Fisheries Co. Ltd. has received persons from the Xinjiang region of China under the state-imposed forced labor transfer program referenced in Ian’s previous email to Carrefour Group. The email asked for comment and also if Carrefour has any update on their inquiry into Cité Marine.
Email sent to Carrefour Group about their supplier Unibond Seafood International which also supplies white fish to Nomad Foods. Unibond Seafood has imported shipments of white fish, including cod and pollock, from Qingdao Tianyuan. OOP also updated them on OOP research into their supplier Cité Marine, which also supplies products from its Cap Océan range that contain pollock, such as the Cap Océan Rillettes de thon, to Carrefour. OOP has identified Uyghurs working at another Chinese processing plant supplying Cité Marine with white fish: Qingdao Lian Yang Aquatic Product Co. Ltd. Qingdao Lian Yang is linked to Qingdao Tianyuan through corporate ownership, and our investigation demonstrates the presence of Uyghur workers at the site as recently as April 2023. The email asked if Carrefour could confirm whether white fish sourced from Qingdao Tianyuan or Qingdao Lian Yang has been used in any of the Cap Océan branded products sold by Carrefour since 2018, whether white fish sourced from Qingdao Tianyuan or Qingdao Lian Yang has been used in any Carrefour own-brand products supplied by Cité Marine and sold by Carrefour since 2018, and whether white fish sourced from Qingdao Tianyuan or Yantai Sanko has been used in any Findus products sold by Carrefour since 2018.
Carrefour's press office replied: "Carrefour strongly condemns the use of forced labour in its supply chain and ensures that its suppliers respect all human rights. Following the alert we received, an investigation was immediately launched. All the suppliers mentioned were contacted. To date, the audits and traceability checks carried out indicate that there are no non-compliances linked to forced labour in the Group's supplies via these suppliers. Aware of the importance of this issue, the Group will continue its investigations and will also include the processed fish sector in the list of sensitive sectors in its vigilance plan, thereby increasing the level of monitoring of these sectors."
Email sent to Carrefour, saying: "Since we were last in contact with Carrefour, our ongoing investigation has uncovered further evidence of forced labor in China’s seafood processing industry which we want to bring to your attention. We have uncovered evidence that the Chinese company Donggang Haimeng has used North Korean labor after the December 2019 deadline for the repatriation of overseas North Korean workers required under United Nations Security Council sanctions. This evidence shows the presence of North Korean labor at Donggang Haimeng’s factory in Liaoning, China, as recently as 2023.
According to our research, Donggang Haimeng has supplied MSC-certified pollock to Delpierre.
We understand that Delpierre white fish products are stocked by Carrefour. While we understand that you may not be aware of the above issues, we want to ask if Carrefour has any comment to make in response to this email?"
Carrefour's press office replied: "We thank you for your alert which concerns a national brand product. As soon as we receive your notification, we informed the supplier Delpierre. It indicates us that none of its white fish products supplied to Carrefour come from the Chinese company Donggang Haimeng. The Group reaffirms its commitment against the use of forced labor in its supply chain and has increased the level of monitoring of elaborate fish chain by including it in the sensitive chains of its vigilance plan."