Correspondence
Email sent to the media contact at Captain D's, Tracy Paul.
The email said: "We’re contacting you in light of our latest investigation which concerns the use of forced labor in China’s food processing industry.
Captain’s D’s Alaska pollock has been processed at Qingdao Tianyuan Aquatic Foodstuffs Co. Ltd., a factory based in China according to video footage from the plant. Qingdao Tianyuan has received persons transferred from the Xinjiang region of China under a government labor transfer program since 2018 and until at least May 2023.
Our research indicates that Southstream Seafoods is a Captain D’s supplier. Trade records show that Southstream Seafoods has imported white fish from Qingdao Tianyuan.
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. The U.S. has prohibited the importation of goods produced from state-imposed forced labor.
While we recognize that you may not be aware of these problems, we wish to ask you if Captain D’s has any comment or clarification to make regarding the above information? Please let us know by close of business September 29, 2023, noting that all exchanges are fully on record."