Correspondence
Emails to Ocean Kingdom failed to deliver, so a letter was mailed to the company.
The letter said: "I’m contacting Ocean Kingdom Inc. 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 your supply chain.
Ocean Kingdom Inc.’s supplier Rizhao Jiayuan Foodstuff Co. Ltd. is a Meijia Group company. The Meijia Group has received persons from the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of the People’s Republic of China under the state-imposed 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 enrollment and obstruct freedom to leave employment. The U.S. has prohibited the importation of goods produced from state-imposed forced labor.
Does Ocean Kingdom Inc. have any comment or statement to make in light of the above information? Please let me know by July 20, 2023."
The Outlaw Ocean Project sent an additional letter, saying: "Our director Ian Urbina contacted you by mail in July 2023 regarding our investigation into the use of forced labor in China’s food processing industry. We are contacting you again now with further findings of our ongoing investigation, as they relate to your supply chain. We have uncovered evidence that a Chinese company called Dandong Hailong Foodstuff 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 North Korean labor at Dandong Hailong Foodstuff’s factory in Liaoning, China, as recently as 2023. Furthermore, under the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA), passed in 2017, the U.S. prohibits the import of any goods produced by North Korean nationals unless clear and convincing evidence is provided that indicates the materials were not made with forced labor. Trade data seen by The Outlaw Ocean Project shows that Ande Foods (USA) Inc. was the consignee for dozens of shipments of seafood from Dandong Hailong since 2017. According to our research, Ande Foods supplies seafood products under its Sea Legacy brand to Leopard USA Corp. While we understand that you may not be aware of the above issues, does Leopard USA Corp./Ocean Kingdom Inc. have any comment to make in response to this email?"