Correspondence
Email sent to the media team at Migros.
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 suppliers in your supply chain - Yantai Sanko Fisheries and Qingdao Tianyuan Aquatic Foodstuff.
Northseafood Holland BV has imported shipments of fish from a supplier called Yantai Sanko Fisheries Co. Ltd., based in China. Yantai Sanko Fisheries Co. Ltd. has received persons from the Xinjiang region of China under a state-imposed forced labor transfer program since 2019 and until at least April 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. Northseafood Holland has supplied seafood for Migros’ own-brand range, Pelican.
Separately, Cité Marine has imported shipments of pollock and cod from the Chinese processor Qingdao Tianyuan Aquatic Foodstuff. Qingdao Tianyuan has also received persons transferred from Xinjiang under a state-imposed program, since 2020 and until at least May 2023. According to our research, Cité Marine supplies pollock and cod products to Migros.
Does Migros have any comment or clarification to make in response to the above information? Please let me know by close of business August 4, 2023."
Patrick Stöpper, Mediensprecher at Migros Gruppe, replied: "Thank you for getting in touch with us and for your inquiry. Our internal supply chain and social standards-experts have tried to reconstruct the two cases mentioned by you.
As you may know, international supply chains are very complex and it is not easy to keep track of the whole value chain, with often numerous different players involved.
We’ve dug deep into our supply chain data base and are able to comment on the two cases as follows: · None of our research has shown any sort of connection to Northseafood Holland BV. · Cité Marine appears in a few documents that were shared with us. However, it is not a direct supplier of Migros. Nevertheless, we take your allegations very seriously and will contact the involved supply chain in order to investigate on the allegations.
Migros has a comprehensive human rights due diligence process according to the OECD framework in place to identify, address and remedy negative impacts on human rights.
With regard to forced labour, including state imposed forced labour: We take a firm stand against any form of forced labour and, in accordance with the amfori BSCI Code of Conduct, only start business relationships with suppliers who also oppose any kind of bonded, forced labour or human trafficking. This includes any form of servitude, forced, bonded, indentured, trafficked or non-voluntary labour, including state-imposed forced labour. We take a risk-based approach to assess our supply chain, including audits on factory/ farm level. In the event of a violation of our Code of Conduct by a direct or indirect partner in our supply chain, we demand an immediate end to any form of forced labour. Improvement measures are initiated immediately and, where they do not lead to a remedy of the situation, measures may follow until the termination of the business relationship in question.
We hope to have been of help and send kind regards from Switzerland."
The Outlaw Ocean Project replied: "Thank you very much for engaging so thoroughly with our query and for coming back to us so quickly with your findings.
I just wanted to clarify something with you - some of the fish products listed on Migros’ website carry manufacturer codes (for example, MSC certification codes) which are directly linked to both Northseafood Holland (like this ‘Pelican Atlantic cod’) and Cité Marine (like this ‘M Classic’ pollock). Do you or your colleagues on the internal supply chain and social standards side of things have any insight as to why this is the case?
Thanks again for your engagement on this, it is much appreciated."
Patrick Stöpper, Mediensprecher at Migros Gruppe, replied: "Thank you for your clarification. Indeed, the MSC number in question matches with the supplier. However, it is no direct supplier of Migros. Instead, it is a pre-supplier of our direct supplier. And in the case of the cod, we received confirmation from our direct supplier that the supply chain runs from the Barents Sea through the European Union and not China. As the MSC Chain of Custody requirements do not require suppliers to share their entire supply chain with their customers, we as Migros are not able to track the whole fish supply chains systematically in our internal systems. However, as we mentioned before, we take the required info very seriously and will investigate the allegation further with our direct supplier."
The Outlaw Ocean Project replied: "Thank you very much for your email and for your additional comments and insights.
We have a couple of follow-up questions to clarify a few elements: You mention the confirmation you received from your cod supplier. Has your pollock supplier confirmed if the product they supply to Migros is processed or packaged by a Chinese factory?
Your email noted that, “As the MSC Chain of Custody requirements do not require suppliers to share their entire supply chain with their customers, we as Migros are not able to track the whole fish supply chains systematically in our internal systems.” Does it concern you that it is not easy for Migros to trace seafood products right back to origin, even if they are MSC-certified? What type of documentation does Migros require from suppliers or intermediary parties to understand the entire chain of custody of a product?
Thanks again for your engagement with us on this."
Patrick Stöpper, Mediensprecher at Migros Gruppe, sent a statement saying: "As we stated earlier, we take a firm stand against any form of forced labour and, in accordance with the amfori BSCI Code of Conduct, only start business relationships with suppliers who also oppose any kind of bonded, forced labour or human trafficking. We take a risk-based approach to assess our supply chains. In the event of a violation of our Code of Conduct by a direct or indirect partner in our supply chain, we demand an immediate end to any form of forced labour. Improvement measures are initiated immediately and, where they do not lead to a remedy of the situation, measures may follow until the termination of the business relationship in question.
Migros is a small player on the global stage. Supply Chains in the fish sector are especially complex and social topics start on the boat until the final stage of production. However, we take our responsibility seriously and do what is within our possibilities in order to be able to track supply chains in a risk based approach. We understand that our options are limited and we rely on the correctness of how our supplies (and pre-suppliers) do their business. But as we also said before, we take your allegations very seriously and will look into options how we can contribute to alter the situation in the mentioned supply chains. Thanks again for your inquiry. We hope we were of assistance to your research."
The Outlaw Ocean Project replied: "Thank you again for taking the time to respond to our queries and for sharing your insights."
Email sent to Migros, saying: "Since we were last in contact with Migros Gruppe in August 2023, our ongoing investigation has found further evidence of forced labor in China’s seafood processing industry which we want to bring to your attention. 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 Migros. While we understand that you may not be aware of the above issues, we want to ask if Migros has any comment to make in response to this email?"
Patrick Stöpper replied for Migros: "Thank you for your inquiry and the information from your research. Again, we take a firm stand against any form of forced labour and, in accordance with the amfori BSCI Code of Conduct, only start business relationships with suppliers who also oppose any kind of bonded, forced labour or human trafficking. We take a risk-based approach to assess our supply chains. In the event of a violation of our Code of Conduct by a direct or indirect partner in our supply chain, we demand an immediate end to any form of forced labour. Improvement measures are initiated immediately and, where they do not lead to a remedy of the situation, measures may follow until the termination of the business relationship in question. Migros is a small player on the global stage. Supply Chains in the fish sector are especially complex and social topics start on the boat until the final stage of production. However, we take our responsibility seriously and take actions within our circle of influence in order to be able to track supply chains on a risk based approach. We understand that our options are limited and we rely on the correct business conduct of our supplies (and pre-suppliers). But as we also said before, we take your allegations very seriously and will look into options how we can contribute to alter the situation in the mentioned supply chains."
Patrick Stöpper replied for Migros: "I'm getting back to you to inform you that we have started the process to contact the mentioned supplier. We will demand an audit taking place at the factory in question, with the results being shared with us und will demand that the supplier signs the wild fish declaration."
The Outlaw Ocean Project emailed Migros: "We last corresponded with you by email in December 2023 regarding our investigation into the use of forced labor in China's seafood processing industry. Our ongoing investigation has found further evidence which we wanted to raise with Migros. We have investigators on the ground in China who have been engaging with labor brokers directly involved with the transfer of North Korean workers to factories in China.
Through this and other investigative means, including collecting online footage from the plants and interviews with workers recently returned to North Korea from China, we’ve found large numbers of North Korean workers at a range of seafood processing plants in Liaoning province, on China’s border with North Korea, including at a company called Donggang Haimeng. As we noted in our email of December 1, 2023, the use of overseas North Korean workers was prohibited 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.
According to trade records, Riberalves was the consignee for several shipments of seafood products from Donggang Haimeng since September 2021. Riberalves cod products are listed on Migros’s website in Switzerland.
While we understand that you may not be aware of the above issues, we want to ask:
- Does Migros have any comment to make in response to this email?
- Can you confirm or deny if Riberalves has supplied any products from Donggang Haimeng to Migros?"
Patrick Stöpper replied for Migros: "Thank you for your inquiry. We will conduct an internal research in order to check your information. However, we won’t be able to get back to you until Monday. We will get back to you as soon as possible."
Patrick Stöpper replied for Migros: "Thanks for your mail and the provided information on labour transfer schemes between China and North Korea in the fish industry. Such mechanism do not correspond to the principles of the amfori BSCI Code of Conduct that is applicable for our supply chains. After a thorough check with our supplier, our supply chain has no touch points with the mentioned company in China. Our products from said supplier come from Scandinavia. In any case, we will continue the dialogue with the concerned supplier on the allegations."