Correspondence
Email sent to Oceanic Food, marked FAO Victor Lee, General Manager.
The email said: "I’m contacting you in light of our latest investigation which concerns the use of forced labor in China’s seafood processing industry, and a link we’ve discovered between a company engaged in such practices and a supplier in your supply chain - Rongcheng Puchen. We have evidence of squid catch from a Zhoushan Ningtai Ocean Fisheries vessel that engaged in unregulated fishing activity - the Ning Tai 58 - at Rongcheng Puchen’s processing plant. Another 14 vessels owned by Zhoushan Ningtai are linked to a range of environmental and human rights issues including forced labor, AIS spoofing, shark finning, and unauthorized transhipment. Unauthorized transhipment can undermine supply chain traceability by obfuscating the movement of catch from vessel to processor. Does Oceanic Food have any comment or clarification to make regarding the above information? Please respond to this email by close of business July 24, 2023."
The Outlaw Ocean Project emailed Oceanic Food: "We emailed you in July regarding our latest investigation which concerns the use of forced labor in China’s seafood processing industry, and a link we’ve discovered between a company engaged in such practices and a supplier in your supply chain - Rongcheng Puchen.
Video footage taken inside Rongchen Puchen’s factory in China shows squid being packaged for Oceanic Food. Our investigation found evidence of squid catch from a Zhoushan Ningtai Ocean Fisheries vessel that engaged in unregulated fishing activity - the Ning Tai 58 - at Rongcheng Puchen’s processing plant. Another 14 vessels owned by Zhoushan Ningtai are linked to a range of environmental and human rights issues including forced labor, AIS spoofing, shark finning, and unauthorized transhipment. Unauthorized transhipment can undermine supply chain traceability by obfuscating the movement of catch from vessel to processor.
While we recognize that you may not be aware of these problems, we wished to ask if Oceanic Food has any comment or clarification to make regarding the above information? Please let us know by close of business on September 29, 2023, noting that interactions remain on record."