Correspondence
Email sent to CEO and CCO of Kramers' Seafood.
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 a company engaged in such practices and a supplier in Kramers’ supply chain - Qingdao Tianyuan Aquatic Products.
Kramers’ Seafood imports pollock from Qingdao Tianyuan Aquatic Foodstuffs Co. Ltd, and sells Alaska pollock under its Fishmasters label. Fishmasters-branded pollock is widely distributed across the Netherlands and Germany by Bidfood and Transgourmet Deutschland. Qingdao Tianyuan has received persons transferred from the Xinjiang region of China under a state-imposed forced labor transfer program 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. The U.S. has prohibited the importation of goods produced from state-imposed forced labor.
Does Kramers’ Seafood have any comment or clarification to make regarding the above information? Please let us know by close of business August 25, 2023."
The Outlaw Ocean Project emailed Kramers' Seafood: "We contacted you on August 16, 2023, regarding our latest investigation which concerns the use of forced labor in China’s food processing industry.
Trade records show that Kramers’ Seafood imported shipments of Alaska pollock from a processor in China called Qingao Lian Yang in 2021 and 2022. Qingdao Lian Yang has received persons transferred from the Xinjiang region of China under the same government labor transfer program referred to in our previous email, since at least April 2022 and as recently as April 2023.
Qingdao Lian Yang is also linked to Qingdao Tianyuan, which has supplied pollock to Kramers and was referred to in our previous email, through corporate ownership.
Does Kramers’ Seafood have any comment or clarification to make regarding this, or our previous, email? Can you confirm or deny if any pollock from Qingdao Lian Yang or Qingdao Tianyuan was supplied by Kramers’ Seafood to Bidfood or to Transgourmet Deutschland?
Please let us know by close of business September 21, 2023, noting that all exchanges are fully on record."