Correspondence
Email sent to Marie Giannini, Corporate Media Enquiries at Intertek.
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 with accreditations issued by your organization.
Our investigation has identified a number of Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certified seafood processing facilities in China using forced labor from the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR). Intertek Danmark ApS is the accreditor listed in the MSC Supplier Directory for the processing plant Qingdao Tianyuan Aquatic Foodstuff Co. Ltd., and your website states you undertake social audits using three of the four auditable standards recognised by the MSC, according to its October 2022 Labour Eligibility Requirements.
MSC accreditation was issued to Qingdao Tianyuan Aquatic Foodstuff Co. Ltd. after it was known to have accepted Uyghurs though Chinese government labor transfer programs, and our investigation demonstrates the presence of Uyghur forced labor at the site over a multi-year period. Additionally, Intertek Danmark ApS is the accreditor listed in the MSC Supplier Directory for two processing plants operated by the Taixiang Group, Rongcheng Taiming Foods Co. Ltd. and Rongcheng Huiying Food Co., Ltd. Our investigation has surfaced evidence indicating that the Taixiang Group has participated in the Chinese government's XUAR labor transfer program.
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 schemes which use coercive methods in worker enrolment and obstruct freedom to terminate employment.
Does Intertek have any comment to make in light of the above information? Please respond to this email by close of business June 26, 2023."
James Styles of Dentons Global Advisors, Intertek's communications adviser, replied: "Thank you for your email to Intertek, we are the Company’s comms adviser. Intertek have looked into the matters below and I can provide the following on record statement, to be attributed to an Intertek spokesperson: “For reasons of confidentiality, we are not able to comment on specific client matters other than to say that our scope of work was limited to product chain of custody.” If you’re able to give me a call when suits (conscious it is still early for you), that would be much appreciated."
The Outlaw Ocean Project replied: "Thank you for this helpful clarification on the nature of Intertek's involvement.
Can I confirm you're saying that Intertek has only ever conducted MSC traceability audits at all three of the plants referred to in our first email, Qingdao Tianyuan Aquatic Foodstuff Co. Ltd., Rongcheng Taiming Foods Co. Ltd. and Rongcheng Huiying Food Co., Ltd.?
We’re communicating with the global customers of 11 MSC-certified Chinese seafood processing plants that use Uyghur forced labor, and as part of these conversations are learning more about audits conducted at the sites. I am providing the full list of the 11 processing plants involved in Uyghur forced labor below. Would you kindly confirm whether Intertek has conducted social audits at any of these sites?
Please respond to this email by close of business June 29, 2023.
Rongcheng Haibo Seafood Co. Ltd. (MSC-C-59738) was certified 28 September 2022. The MSC certification was issued after the factory is known to have accepted Uyghurs through a Chinese government labor transfer program. Our investigation demonstrates the presence of Uyghur forced labor at the site over a multi-year period, including within two weeks of the factory receiving its MSC accreditation.
Shandong Haidu Ocean Product Co. Ltd (MSC-C-57659) was certified 30 August 2022. The MSC certification was issued after the factory is known to have accepted Uyghurs through a Chinese government labor transfer program. Our investigation demonstrates the presence of Uyghur forced labor at the site over a multi-year period.
Qingdao Tianyuan Aquatic Foodstuffs Co. Ltd. (MSC-C-52638) was certified 12 December 2022. The MSC certification was issued after the factory is known to have accepted Uyghurs through a Chinese government labor transfer program. Our investigation demonstrates the presence of Uyghur forced labor at the site over a multi-year period, including within two weeks of the factory receiving its MSC accreditation.
Yantai Sanko Fisheries Co. Ltd. (MSC-C-51794) was certified 23 November 2022. The MSC certification was issued after the factory is known to have accepted Uyghurs through a Chinese government labor transfer program. Our investigation demonstrates the presence of Uyghur forced labor at the site over a multi-year period, including within one week of the factory receiving its MSC accreditation.
Rizhao Meijia Keyuan Foods Co. Ltd. (MSC-C-53370) was certified 13 March 2023. The MSC certification was issued after the factory is known to have accepted Uyghurs through a Chinese government labor transfer program. Our investigation demonstrates the presence of Uyghur forced labor at the site over a multi-year period, including within two weeks of the factory receiving its MSC accreditation.
Shandong Meijia Group Co. Ltd. (MSC-C-51912) was certified 13 March 2023. The MSC certification was issued after the company is known to have accepted Uyghurs through a Chinese government labor transfer program.
Rizhao Rirong Aquatic Products And Foods Co. Ltd. (MSC-C-55351) was certified 7 June 2023. The MSC certification was issued after the factory is known to have accepted Uyghurs through a Chinese government labor transfer program. Our investigation demonstrates the presence of Uyghur forced labor at the site over a multi-year period, including within two weeks of the factory receiving its MSC accreditation.
Rizhao Rongxing Co. Ltd. (MSC-C-53499) was certified 24 May 2023. The MSC certification was issued after the factory is known to have accepted Uyghurs through a Chinese government labor transfer program. Our investigation demonstrates the presence of Uyghur forced labor at the site over a multi-year period, including within two weeks of the factory receiving its MSC accreditation.
Rongcheng Taiming Foods Co. Ltd. (MSC-C-57091), Rongcheng Huiying Foods Co. Ltd. (MSC-C-57161) and Shandong Lanrun Aquatic Co. Ltd. (MSC-C-57565) were certified 22 October 2022, 18 January 2023 and 15 May 2023, respectively. Our research has found that the MSC certifications were issued after the parent companies of the factories accepted Uyghurs through a Chinese government labor transfer program."
James Styles of Dentons Global Advisors replied for Intertek: "In response to your question regarding the three plants referred to in your first email, please see below a statement (to be attributed to an Intertek spokesperson) which clarifies the position for all three of those plants: The MSC audits we performed at these sites relate strictly to product chain of custody. We are not the social auditor at these sites and we do not perform social audits of these sites under the MSC programme or otherwise. For reasons of client confidentiality, we cannot comment further."
The Outlaw Ocean Project replied: "Thanks, James. We do not attribute anonymously to un-named spokespeople. So if your on record reply needs to be sourced to someone else in your office let us know."
James Styles of Dentons Global Advisors replied for Intertek: "Thanks and the company won’t be providing any further comment owing to the confidentiality processes they have in place with clients."
The Outlaw Ocean Project replied: "Thanks for this, and we appreciate your need for client confidentiality. However, may I ask why Intertek is willing and able to confirm whether they've audited 3 sites of interest, but not willing or able to offer the same confirmation for the additional 8 sites we've disclosed to you?"
James Styles of Dentons Global Advisors replied, saying: "The following is provided for use on a background basis - as mentioned, Intertek undertook MSC product chain of custody/traceability audits only at the three sites in Ian’s original email (where he referred to Intertekt Danmark ApS). The company is not the social auditor and does not conduct social audits at any of the 11 sites."
The Outlaw Ocean Project replied: "Again, we are not agreeing to go off record or on background. Our questions (and your answers) are and will remain on record."
The Outlaw Ocean Project emailed: "Since we were last in contact with Intertek, our ongoing investigation into the use of forced labor in China’s seafood processing industry has uncovered further findings which we wanted to raise with you. We have found visual evidence of North Korean workers at MSC-certified plants in Liaoning Province, China, including Dandong Yuanyi Refined Seafoods and Dandong Taifeng Foodstuff. Intertek is identified in the MSC’s records as the certifier for each of these two plants. While we are unable to share the evidentiary materials with you at this time, we can say it includes videos of North Koreans at Dandong Yuanyi in 2022 and Dandong Taifeng in 2023. The use of overseas North Korean workers was banned by the United Nations Security Council in 2017, with Resolution 2397 setting a deadline of December 2019 for the repatriation of all such workers to North Korea. Can you clarify if Intertek’s audits at either of these plants noted the presence of North Korean workers?"