Correspondence
Email sent to the Department of Education in England.
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 two companies supplying seafood to the UK education sector - Birds Eye and Young’s Seafood.
Our research shows that UK educational facilities serve a range of white fish products sourced from Birds Eye and Young’s Seafood. Northseafood Holland and Unibond Seafood International are white fish suppliers to Nomad Foods brands, which include the Bird’s Eye, Findus and Iglo ranges retailing across Europe. Our research further shows that Unibond Seafood International is a white fish supplier to Young’s Seafood.
Northseafood Holland has imported shipments of white fish, including pollock, 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 a government labor transfer program since 2019 and until at least April 2023.
Northseafood Holland has imported white fish from Yantai Longwin Foods Co. Ltd., a Chinese seafood processor linked to Yantai Sanko through corporate ownership. Our investigation has also found Uyghurs working at Yantai Longwin, since August 2020 and until as recently as March 2023.
Unibond Seafood has imported shipments of white fish, including cod and pollock, from Qingdao Tianyuan Aquatic Foodstuffs Co. Ltd., a supplier based in China. Qingdao Tianyuan has also received persons transferred by the Chinese government from the Xinjiang region since 2020 and until at least May 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.
We have the following questions:
- Has fish sourced from Yantai Sanko, Yantai Longwin or Qingdao Tianyuan been served to students at any UK government educational facilities since 2019?
- Can the Department of Education confirm it is confident that no Uyghur forced labor exists in any of the seafood served to students at UK government educational facilities?
Does the Department for Education have any comment or clarification to make regarding the above information? Please let us know by close of business September 7, 2023, noting that all interactions are fully on-record."
Ana Scanlan, Press Officer at the Department of Education, replied: "Thanks for this – we’ll look into this for you and come back with some answers to your questions."
Ana Scanlan, Press Officer at the Department of Education, emailed: "Quick update on this – I’ve passed your query to the Department for Business and Trade, the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office and the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs, one of whom will come back to you before your deadline."
The Outlaw Ocean Project replied: "Thank you for the update.
We had understood from gov.uk that the Department for Education Schools Commercial Team leads on the 'Buying for Schools' program, which delivers services to support schools in buying goods and services, including the frozen seafood relevant to our enquiry. Is this incorrect?
Can we expect a response from the Department for Education and, if not, why?
Should we also direct any further enquiries related to UK public procurement (in other sectors) to the Department for Business and Trade, the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office and the Department for Environment, Farming and Rural Affairs? If so, please can you provide us with the appropriate contact points in these agencies?"
The Outlaw Ocean Project emailed: "Please be aware that our deadline expired yesterday and we haven't received any communication from the Department for Business and Trade, the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office and the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs. If the Department of Education intends to respond to our enquiries please could you do so by close of business today?"
Ana Scanlan, Press Officer at the Department of Education, replied: "This would I’m afraid be one for those depts to come back to you as it’s more to do with supply chains than what is provided in schools. I’ll chase them up for you."