Correspondence
Email sent to the press contacts for Aldi in France.
The email said: "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 Aldi’s suppliers.
Our research shows that Cité Marine supplies Aldi with seafood products containing white fish, including pollock, sold under the Loc Marée range.
Cité Marine has imported large volumes of white fish, specifically pollock and cod, from Qingdao Tianyuan Aquatic Foodstuff Co. Ltd. since the Chinese plant is known to have first started using Xinjiang labor in 2018. Our evidence demonstrates the presence of Uyghur workers at Qingdao Tianyuan as recently as May 2023.
Cité Marine has also imported white fish from Qingdao Lian Yang Aquatic Product Co. Ltd., another Chinese seafood processor linked to Qingdao Tianyuan through corporate ownership. Our investigation has also found Uyghurs working at Qingdao Lian Yang as recently as 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 terminate employment.
Could you confirm whether white fish sourced from Qingdao Tianyuan or Qingdao Lian Yang has been used in any of the seafood products sold by Aldi since 2018?
Does Aldi have any comment or clarification to make regarding the above information?
Please respond by close of business September 5, 2023, and note that all interactions are fully on record."
Marina Fuhrmann, Junior Manager CR Competence Center at Aldi Nord, emailed a statement: "At ALDI, we are committed to respecting human rights and improving living as well as working conditions throughout all our supply chains. We’re focusing on any adverse impact on human rights that we might cause, contribute to or are linked to. Therefore, we are taking these allegations very seriously, and we are in close contact with all relevant suppliers to get more information. Furthermore, we are in the process of conducting internal investigations to understand the extent of the allegations and evaluate the cause to take appropriate actions. Until we have clarity on the described matter, we refrain from further business activities with the described production sites. ALDI maintains a rigorous due diligence process, which we regularly review and revise according to the principle of continuous improvement. Any reported instances of forced labour will be followed up on at the earliest opportunity, with appropriate corrective actions and business consequences being imposed if necessary. We appreciate the direct exchange. Further details to support our investigations are welcome."