I’m contacting you in light of our latest investigation which concerns the use of forced labor in China’s seafood processing industry, and a link we’ve discovered between companies engaged in such practices and a supplier in Bidfresh’s supply chain - Rongcheng Haibo. Bidfresh has imported squid from the Chinese processor, Rongcheng Haibo. Roncheng Haibo 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…

We just wanted to follow-up on one element: Trade records show a shipment from Rongcheng Haibo of frozen cuttlefish and squid consigned to Bidfresh in 2021. Could Bidfresh confirm that this was the last shipment it received from Haibo? Does Bidfresh have any comment on why it sourced seafood from this supplier in 2021? The Bidfresh Modern Slavery Statement 2017-18 identified some of the same risks in the company’s frozen squid supply chain that have surfaced in our investigation and which we outlined in our email concerning this supplier, dated July 31. Did Bidfresh put any measures in place t…

We are aware of the current investigation surrounding a previous supplier to Bidfresh and are deeply saddened to hear the allegations regarding the exploitation of their staff. Whilst we’ve not purchased any product from Rongcheng Haibo for several years, any identified risks regarding them as a supplier whilst we were trading with them were challenged and investigated thoroughly via our strict supplier approval process, and at that time we were comfortable with the outcome of this. We would like to reiterate that as a business, we take the welfare of those working within our supply chain incr…