Correspondence
Email sent to the sales team at H&T Seafood.
The email said that the company's supplier Rizhao Jiayuan is a Meijia Group company and that the Meijia Group has received persons from the Xinjiang region of China under a state-imposed labor transfer program. The United Nations, human rights organizations and academic experts agree that since 2018, the Chinese government has systematically subjected Xinjiang’s predominantly Muslim ethnic minorities to forced labor across the country via state-sanctioned employment schemes which use coercive methods in worker enrollment and obstruct freedom to leave employment. The email asked for comment.
The Outlaw Ocean Project sent an additional email to H&T, saying: "We previously emailed you on May 25 regarding our latest investigation into the use of forced labor in China’s food processing industry, and a link we’ve discovered between a company engaged in such practices and your supply chain called Rizhao Jiayuan Foodstuff.Rizhao Jiayuan Foodstuff Co. Ltd. is a Meijia Group company. The Meijia Group has received persons from the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of the People’s Republic of China under the state-imposed labor transfer program. Our investigation has uncovered evidence of Uyghur workers inside Rizhao Jiayuan Foodstuff in 2019 and as recently as October 2022.
The United Nations, human rights organizations and academic experts agree that since 2018, the Chinese government has systematically subjected Xinjiang’s predominantly Muslim ethnic minorities to forced labor across the country via state-sanctioned employment schemes which use coercive methods in worker enrollment. The U.S. has prohibited the importation of goods produced from state-imposed forced labor.
Trade data viewed by The Outlaw Ocean Project shows that H&T Seafood Inc. was the consignee for shipments of seafood from Rizhao Jiayuan in 2020. While we recognize that you may not be aware of the above problems, we wanted to follow up our email of May 25 to ask you if H&T Seafood has any comment or statement to make in light of the above information? Please let us know by close of business September 27, 2023, noting that all interactions are on record."
Howard Lapides, Executive Vice President of H & T Seafood Inc., wrote via LinkedIn: “Ian. My name is Howard Lapides Exec VP at H & T Seafood. You incorrectly stated on your website that we sell seafood to ICA in Sweden. We've never sold them in our company's history. Please remove this incorrect and damaging information immediately! This is very serious!!”
Howard Lapides, Executive Vice President of H & T Seafood, wrote via LinkedIn: “Ian, please remove our company H & T Seafood from your website. We don't sell any frozen seafood to any chains in Sweden. We do not do business in Sweden. We are asking you to please do the right thing and get our company removed off your list today. Also we don't even know who Rizhao Jiayuan Foodstuff Co. Ltd is. We don't buy from them. Please remove us off the list immediately. This inaccurate information could severely damage our company. We work with a very small group of frozen fish processors in China and none of them are involved with slave labor. We are emphatically opposed to slave labor from every perspective. It is repulsive to even imagine this actually takes place in 2023. We are happy your company has exposed this horrific situation that is occurring in China but we have no connection to any of this. Regards, Howard”
The Outlaw Ocean Project replied with further information on trade data via LinkedIn: ”Mr. Lapides, Thanks for your note. As you may be aware, we reached out to your company on May 25, 2023 and again on September 21, 2023 seeking input about our findings. You can see the text of those inquiries at this spot on the website. Unfortunately, we did not receive a response to either inquiry. What’s still on the Outlaw Ocean website is based on data from Import Genius. Those records indicate that between 2018 and 2021, H & T Seafood Inc imported five shipments of squid tubes from Rizhao Jiayuan Foodstuff and one shipment of mussels, mollusks, and squid tubes from Yantai New Ocean Aquatic Food." The message also included a spreadsheet of trade data from two different sources regarding these shipments to H & T Seafood.
Howard Lapides, Executive Vice President of H & T Seafood, wrote via LinkedIn: "I reviewed the spreadsheet that you forwarded to me through the link on LinkedIn and saw that we have not purchased any products from any of these companies since June 2020."
The Outlaw Ocean Project replied: "Ok. Fair enough. But previously you said there was no tie whatsoever. And yet, the records seem to indicate otherwise. As for timing, we cited that it was in the past 5 years."