Correspondence
Email sent to the Community Relations team at Costco Wholesale. January 17, 2023: A letter with the same text as the email dated January 10 was sent by certified mail.
The email described abuses on a jigger owned by Rongcheng Wangdao, including the death of one crew member and disembarkation of a second for medical care after mistreatment on board, and multiple indicators of forced labor among the ship’s crew. It then traced squid from that vessel to the Chinese fisheries company, Rongcheng Xinhui, which supplies Lagoon Seafood Products. Lagoon Seafood’s Blue Tide brand Squid Rings and Tentacles are listed for sale on Costco Business Centre Canada’s website. The email highlighted Costco’s Supplier Code of Conduct as regards labor and recruitment, and asked if the company had any comment in light of the information discovered in The Outlaw Ocean Project investigation.
Email sent to Costco Business Centre detailing connections between its supplier, High Liner Foods, and Uyghur forced labor at Yantai Sanko. The email also asked for comment.
Email sent to two contact addresses at Costco, saying: "Trade records seen by The Outlaw Ocean Project show that, between 2019 and 2022, Premier Marine Canada was the consignee for at least seven shipments of seafood from processors in China that have received people from the Xinjiang region of China under a state imposed labor transfer program. The processors, Rizhao Meijia Aquatic and Rizhao Jiayuan, are both owned by the Meijia Group. The Meijia Group has received persons from the Xinjiang region of China under a state-imposed labor transfer program since 2019 and until as recently as May 2023. We have uncovered evidence of Uyghur workers in Rizhao Jiayuan in 2019. Trade records also show that Premier Marine Canada was the consignee for seafood from Yantai Sanko Fisheries in 2019, a processor referenced in our previous correspondence with you regarding the use of Uyghur forced labor. According to Premier Marine Canada’s official website, Premier Marine is a private label partner of your company. While we recognize that you may not be aware of this problem, we wish to ask you: Can you confirm or deny if any seafood from Rizhao Meijia Aquatic, Rizhao Jiayuan or Yantai Sanko Fisheries has been used in any products sold by your company since 2019? Does Costco Wholesale have any comment or clarification to make in response to the above information?"