I’m contacting you in light of our latest investigation which concerns the use of forced labor in China’s food processing industry. We have uncovered evidence that the Chinese company Dandong Yuanyi Seafoods used North Korean labor after the December 2019 deadline for the repatriation of overseas North Korean workers required under United Nations sanctions. The import to the U.S. of goods produced by North Koreans is prohibited under United States sanctions. Trade data shows that Nichirei Seafoods Inc. has imported over a dozen shipments of seafood products from Dandong Yuanyi Seafoods since 2…
Before we heard from you, we had received written representations from the vendor that should have excluded the possibility you’ve indicated. But whatever the truth is, we want to know it. Can you please share your evidence with us? Based on your organization’s prior reporting and what you’ve now told us, we’ve paused some of our operations pending further investigation. If you are not inclined to share your evidence with us, could you please tell us when you expect to publish your findings, so that we can factor them into some decisions that we would like to make this week?
We have found video evidence of North Korean workers at Dandong Yuanyi Seafoods in August 2022. We are unable to share the footage with you in order to protect our sources, but visual details captured on the footage confirms it was shot at Dandong Yuanyi’s facilities. As regards the publication of our investigation: we are uncertain of the exact timing for publication, but we will need final replies from Nichirei by the end of next week. You mentioned that Nichirei has received ‘written representations from the vendor’ - what kind of written representations have they provided to you?
Nichirei company statement: 'We have robust controls to ensure compliance with our responsible sourcing policies, which prioritize respect for the human rights of individuals throughout our supply chain and require compliance with all applicable local laws and global treaties, and we do not tolerate any behavior that conflicts with our policies or applicable laws.
When we were informed of the allegations, we took immediate action, including proactively launching an on-site supplier audit and notifying our distributors and the relevant U.S. agencies. Although we have not found any evidence in…
Thank you for your continued engagement and for sending the Nichirei company statement. We can’t disclose names, but we can say that we have contacted dozens of other companies regarding the findings of our investigation. The issues raised with those companies range from forced labor or other human rights abuses, to illegal fishing. Nichirei Group’s Corporate Social Responsibility Policy suggests suppliers need to complete self-assessment or submit to audit. Did Dandong Yuanyi do either of these, and could you share either the self-assessment or audit report with us?
On background: The supplier completed both self-assessments and audits that showed full compliance with our policies.
We cant go on background. So going forward pls know that we are staying on record at all times.
A coalition of eighteen NGOs wrote to thirteen major seafood distributors and retailers, including Nichirei Seafoods, asking a series of questions connected to the Outlaw Ocean's reporting. Their email to Nichirei Seafoods said: "Dear Nichirei Seafoods,
We are writing to you on behalf of a consortium of human rights NGOs requesting an update on the steps Nichirei Seafoods 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, i…
In care of: Ethan Hee-Seok Shin, Transitional Justice Working Group Krista Bisnauth, Freedom United
Thank you for your letter. I am pleased to respond on behalf of the Board of Nichirei Seafoods, Inc.
Nichirei Seafoods, Inc. is committed to fair, transparent, and sustainable sourcing and procurement practices, and we maintain strong controls and oversight of our procurement and sourcing operations. We do not tolerate any behavior that conflicts with our Sustainable Procurement Policy, which prioritizes respect for the human rights of individuals throughout our supply chain and requires comp…