Correspondence
Email sent to the communications director and communications team at Casino.
The email described supply chain connections between the company's supplier, Cité Marine, and Uyghur forced labor at the seafood processors 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 own-brand seafood products sold by Casino since 2018?
Matthieu Riche, Director of Engagement and CSR of the Casino Group, responded: "Casino Group is committed to combating all forms of human rights abuses and we are very concerned about the situation you describe. May I ask you to use our official whistleblowing channel to share with us any evidence and information you have about these factories, as this channel protects the whistle-blower and the information provided?" The email also said that Casino is continuing its investigations and would respond next week.
The Outlaw Ocean Project replied to say that it cannot share documents or materials ahead of publication, but that evidence included state media articles as well as visual evidence. The email also said: Please be advised that we have also identified seafood products supplied by Cité Marine on sale at your subsidiary Franprix. These include Franprix own-brand seafood spreads containing pollock (Rillettes de saumon) as well as breaded pollock sold under the Leaderprice brand. Could you also confirm whether white fish sourced from Qingdao Tianyuan or Qingdao Lian Yang has been used in any of the own-brand seafood products sold by Franprix since 2018?
Matthieu Riche emailed a statement from Casino Group: "Following your alert, we would like to reaffirm the Casino Group's commitment to combating human rights violations in the supply chain, and in particular forced labour in all its forms. On receipt of your e-mail, we have contacted Cité Marine, a supplier to most of all French retailers of national brand and private label products. The checks we carried out in a very short space of time, given your request for a response by 05/09 for an alert received on 28/08, do not indicate at this stage that the factory that supplies Cité Marine does have any practices similar to forced labour. According to the information we have the second factory is not a supplier to Cité Marine. However, we’re going to investigate it in greater depth and reinforce our duty of care. We will keep you informed of the additional results. As requested in our email of 29/08, we invite you to use our whistleblowing system to send us any information and evidence showing that the plant supplying Cité Marine is linked to such practices. Please be assured that we will take all necessary measures if such practices are proven."
Email sent to Matthieu Riche at Casino Group, saying: "Since we were last in contact with Casino Group in September 2023, 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 Franprix.
While we understand that you may not be aware of the above issues, we want to ask if Casino Group has any comment to make in response to this email?"
Matthieu Riche replied for Casino Group: "I acknowledge receipt of this alert. Could you sent us the pictures of the products in Franprix stores as at this stage we have not found any MSC certified Pollock from Delpierre sold in these stores. We are continuing our investigation. Thank you very much."
Matthieu Riche replied for Casino Group: "Further to my previous email, we have not identified this product nor this factory in the product supply chain (Delpierre). If you have any further information or evidence, please use our whistleblowing system: contact75c@deontologue.com."
The Outlaw Ocean Project replied: "Thanks very much for your emails on this and for following up with your supplier. Just so our understanding is clear: Can you confirm whether you have ascertained if white fish products from Delpierre that are listed on Franprix’s website (‘Filets de cabillaud’ and ‘Morue prêt à cuisiner’) come from Donggang Haimeng’s factory, or have been identified by Delpierre as coming from another processing plant?"