Correspondence
Email sent to the contact address for Brasmar Comercio De Produtos Alimentares.
The email said: "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 a company engaged in such practices and your supply chain – Donggang Haimeng Foodstuff. We have uncovered evidence that Dandong 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 Dandong Haimeng’s factory in Liaoning, China, as recently as 2023.
According to trade records seen by The Outlaw Ocean Project, Brasmar Comercio De Produtos Alimentares S.A. was the consignee for multiple shipments of seafood from Dandong Haimeng since December 2019.
While we understand that you may not be aware of the above issues, we want to ask if Brasmar Comercio De Produtos Alimentares S.A. has any comment to make in response to this email?"
The Outlaw Ocean Project emailed: "As we hadn't heard back from you on this, we wanted to check in and see if you have any comment to make at this time? To clarify: The supply company in question is called Donggang Haimeng Foodstuff, based in Dandong City, Liaoning, China."
The Outlaw Ocean Project emailed: "As we haven’t heard back from you on this, we wanted to loop around one more time to make sure you saw our query. Our work will be published in Portugal by Público and, if you have a statement or comment to make in response to our query, we will need it before close of business on February 22, 2024."
Humberto Oliveira, Corporate Operations Director at Brasmar, replied: "We sincerely apologize for the delayed response to your previous messages. Technical issues, specifically emails being redirected to our spam folder, led to this unfortunate situation. We were made aware of this oversight by a client, prompting immediate action to rectify the situation.
Regarding Donggang Haimeng Foodstuff, we deeply value ethical business practices. While our historical records with them have been minimal, these events have prompted us to reevaluate our business relationship. Despite our commercial team visiting the facility in 2019 and not noticing any irregularities, we take recent developments seriously. Consequently, we have decided to suspend our dealings with this supplier, while also intensifying both our internal and external auditing procedures to prevent similar occurrences in the future.
At BRASMAR, we uphold the highest standards of ethical conduct and regulatory compliance to ensure the well-being of our employees and business partners. Our adherence to SEDEX guidelines underscores our dedication to ethical sourcing practices. Moreover, we actively communicate these principles throughout our supply chain.
Your understanding and cooperation are greatly appreciated as we navigate this situation.
Please feel free to reach out if you have any further questions or require additional assistance. We are committed to collaborate with you in any way necessary to address this matter effectively.
Thank you for your attention to this issue."