Correspondence
Email sent to the contact address for Sea Products International Ltd.
The email said that trade records show that Sea Products International imported squid from Rizhao Jiayuan Foods Co. Ltd., a Meijia Group company, in 2022. The Meijia Group has received persons from the Xinjiang region of China under a state-imposed labor transfer program since 2019 and until at least May 2023. 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 programs which use coercive methods in worker enrollment, and obstruct freedom to leave employment. The email asked if any Sea Products International products containing squid processed by Rizhao Jiayuan been supplied to Costco UK, and if the company had any comment or clarification to make.