Correspondence
Email sent to two press contacts for Intermarché.
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 Les Mousquetaires’ subsidiaries - Intermarché.
Our research shows that Cité Marine supplies Intermarché with pollock and cod. Intermarché also sells cod from Cité Marine’s Cap Océan range. Cité Marine has imported large volumes of 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.
Our research further shows that 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. Intermarché sells Findus brand white fish products.
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.
Unibond Seafood has imported shipments of white fish, including cod and pollock, 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.
We have the following questions:
- Could you confirm whether white fish sourced from Qingdao Tianyuan or Qingdao Lian Yang has been used in any of the Cap Océan or Cité Marine branded products sold by Intermarché since 2018?
- Could you confirm whether white fish sourced from Qingdao Tianyuan or Yantai Sanko has been used in any Findus products sold by Intermarché since 2018? Does Intermarché have any comment or clarification to make regarding the above information? Please respond by close of business September 2, 2023, and note that all interactions are fully on record."
Email sent to the press contacts for Intermarché, saying: "We contacted Intermarché in August 2023 about our investigation into the use of forced labor in China’s seafood processing industry. We have found further evidence of forced labor which we want to bring to your attention, as our investigation continues. We have uncovered evidence that the Chinese company Donggang Jinhui Foodstuff 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 Donggang Jinhui Foodstuff’s factory in Liaoning, China, as recently as 2023.
According to our research, Donggang Jinhui Foodstuff has supplied MSC-certified cod to Delpierre. We understand that Delpierre white fish products are stocked by Intermarché. While we understand that you may not be aware of the above issues, we want to ask if Intermarché has any comment to make in response to this, our or previous, email?"