I’m contacting you in light of our latest investigation which concerns the use of forced labor in China’s food processing industry, and a link we’ve discovered between companies engaged in such practices and one of your suppliers - Nomad Foods. Carrefour sells Findus and La Cocinera branded white fish products. Our research shows that Northseafood Holland and Unibond Seafood International are white fish suppliers to Nomad Foods brands, which include the Iglo, Birds Eye and Findus ranges retailing across Europe. Northseafood Holland has imported shipments of white fish, including pollock, from…

Carrefour strongly condemns the use of forced labour in its supply chain and ensures that its suppliers respect all human rights. Following the alert we received, an investigation was immediately launched. All the suppliers mentioned were contacted. To date, the audits and traceability checks carried out indicate that there are no non-compliances linked to forced labour in the Group's supplies via these suppliers. Aware of the importance of this issue, the Group will continue its investigations and will also include the processed fish sector in the list of sensitive sectors in its vigilance pl…

We’re contacting you in light of our latest investigation which concerns the use of forced labor in China’s seafood processing industry, specifically North Korean workers in Chinese plants.

We have investigators on the ground in China who have been engaging with labor brokers directly involved with the transfer of North Korean workers to factories in China. Through this and other investigative means, including collecting online footage from the plants and interviews with workers recently returned to North Korea from China, we’ve found large numbers of North Korean workers at a range of seafo…

Carrefour’s own-brand ‘Classic’ fish products are supplied by Cité Marine. Cité Marine’s supplier Qingdao Tianyuan Aquatic Products has received persons from the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of the People’s Republic 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 programs which use coercive methods in worker enrollment. The U.…

Carrefour firmly condemns the use of forced labour in its supply chain and ensures that its suppliers respect all human rights. Carrefour systematically carries out social audits in the factories that supply it. As a result, in 2022, 1,418 social audits were carried out, 17% of which gave rise to alerts that led to immediate action, particularly on working conditions, remuneration policy and occupational health. Following your alert, and in addition to the global audit policy, we will immediately carry out investigations at Cité Marine and take the necessary measures in the event of non-compli…

We have another supply chain connection to raise with you, concerning a supplier called Yantai Sanko Fisheries Co. Ltd. According to our research, Carrefour Italy stocks ‘Capitan Findus’ fish products, produced by Northseafood Holland BV.

Northseafood Holland BV has imported shipments of fish from the processor, Yantai Sanko Fisheries Co. Ltd., based in China. Yantai Sanko Fisheries Co. Ltd. has received persons from the Xinjiang region of China under the state-imposed forced labor transfer program referenced in Ian’s previous email to Carrefour Group.

Does Carrefour have any comment or clar…

Thank you for your email. Please find attached the statement of Carrefour Poland answering your questions."

The attached statement said: "Following your email, we have contacted our business partner - Abramczyk sp. z o.o. asking for the necessary information in order to clarify this situation. In response, we received the company's position, in which Abramczyk sp. z o.o. declares that the company is not a recipient of any seafood deliveries from Chinese producers. The seafood is purchased by this company directly from India, Vietnam, Chile and Argentina.

Abramczyk sp. z o.o. after tracing i…

Thank you for your statement and sharing those details from your supplier. A couple of points were unclear to us, which we’d like to clarify with you.

In your statement, you note: "Abramczyk sp. z o.o. declares that the company is not a recipient of any seafood deliveries from Chinese producers. The seafood is purchased by this company directly from India, Vietnam, Chile and Argentina. Abramczyk sp. z o.o. after tracing its supply chains, has informed us that the suppliers mentioned in your email are producers of pollock and that one of them supplied deliveries of this product to Carrefour P…

Our investigation continues to surface questions about your company's supply chain. Further to my previous correspondence regarding your supplier Findus/Nomad Foods, our research shows that Unibond Seafood International also supplies white fish to Nomad Foods. Unibond Seafood has imported shipments of white fish, including cod and pollock, from Qingdao Tianyuan, the company mentioned in my email dated July 4, 2023. Further to my previous correspondence regarding your supplier Cité Marine, our research shows that Cité Marine also supplies products from its Cap Océan range that contain pollock,…

A coalition of eighteen NGOs wrote to thirteen major seafood distributors and retailers, including Carrefour, asking a series of questions connected to The Outlaw Ocean Project's reporting. Their email to Carrefour said: "Dear Carrefour,

We are writing to you on behalf of a consortium of human rights NGOs requesting an update on the steps Ahold Delhaize has taken following the investigation published by The Outlaw Ocean Project. The investigation highlighted concerns about state-imposed Uyghur and North Korean forced labor across the Chinese seafood processing facilities, including within you…

Since we were last in contact with Carrefour, 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, Don…