Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 30 October 2026 · 6 sources
Spanish canned tuna, sardine and seafood brand owned by Shanghai Kaichuang.
Until Albo traces its fish and seafood to the boat or farm and has the conditions of the people who catch or farm it checked independently, it can't show that they are free and fairly paid.
Other canned and pouched fish brands
Nothing we've rated in canned and pouched fish is better than Lacks transparency yet.
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Why it's graded Lacks transparency
- Not met: Meets 5 of 7 Good requirements.
- Holds the grade back: It relies on fish and seafood that it can't trace to the boat or farm. That alone means a poor grade until it takes steps to trace it and check the conditions of the people who catch or farm it.
- It isn't Harm on record, because there's no serious confirmed problem on its record.
- Lacks transparency is still a poor grade: in supply chains like this, workers who can't be seen to be treated fairly are usually unprotected.
Good requirements 5 of 7
- Met: Pays a living wage, or holds a strong fair-pay certificationLiving wage: presumed because legal wages in Spain are close to a living wage, not checked at the company
- Met: Respects worker rights
- Met: Supply chain independently audited or certified, or at least 80% made in countries with strong labour standardsPresumed from where it's made, not audited
- Not met: Shows where its earlier production stages happen, not just the final oneA "Made in" claim can cover only the final stage. Earlier stages to show: catching or farming the fish and seafood
- Met: No child or forced labour findings or links
- Met: Names the factories or farms that make its products, or is fully certified by a scheme that holds and audits that listMakes its products in its own factories
- Not met: Traces its catch to the boat or farm and has crews' or farm workers' conditions checked independently
Red flags 1
- Red flag: Relies on fish and seafood it can't trace to the boat or farm
- Red flag: Fails its category's raw-material check (means Lacks transparency)
Stars it would earn as Good
None yet. Stars only show on Good companies. About stars
Where it's made
From Albo's own disclosure: it makes its products in its own factories.
| Country | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spain | Strong protections | Close to a living wage | Low |
Evidence
What we found
- Risk across the industry, not a finding about this company: fishing fleets and processing plants have some of the worst documented forced labour, including trafficked crews held at sea for years.
- Owns or runs its own production
- "Made in Spain" only means the last major stage happened there: under customs and consumer law, catching or farming the fish and seafood can be made elsewhere. It hasn't shown where those earlier stages happen, so where it's made counts towards On Track but not Good.
- Relies on fish and seafood from fishing boats and farms, where crews and farm workers, often migrants recruited into debt, have been held for months or years, beaten and denied pay, out of reach of factory audits. It hasn't shown any steps to trace its fish and seafood to the boat or farm or have the conditions of the people who catch or farm it checked, so it's graded Lacks transparency until it does.
Research notes Albo cans tuna, sardines, squid and mussels at its own plant in Salvaterra de Miño (Pontevedra), opened in 2023, and makes ready meals at Tapia de Casariego (Asturias). Its tuna policy requires licensed vessels with IMO numbers, large purse seiners on the ISSF vessel register and full catch traceability, but it publishes no vessel list, no crew-conditions checks and no labour or human rights policy for fishing crews. Where its tuna is caught is not disclosed. Its Chinese parent, Shanghai Kaichuang, bought the company in 2016.
Sources and actions
Sources 6
Show all 6 sources
- Chinese investors buy Spanish tuna canner (SeafoodSource) · search the archive · Chinese investors bought Hijos de Carlos Albo for EUR 48 million; plants in Vigo and Tapia de Casariego
- La matriz de Albo inicia la construcción de su planta en China (Alimarket, 2019) · search the archive · Shanghai Kaichuang owns Hijos de Carlos Albo; building a tuna loin plant in Daishan, Zhejiang for the Asian market
Published by Albo or its owner
- Albo - Instalaciones · search the archive · Two plants: Salvaterra de Miño (tuna, squid, sardines, mussels; opened April 2023) and Tapia de Casariego (ready meals)
- Albo - Política de sostenibilidad · search the archive · Tuna vessel requirements (licences, IMO numbers, ISSF PVR register, traceability); no labour or crew provisions
- Albo - home page · search the archive · Products made in Galicia and Asturias; sold in more than 25 countries; retail channels listed are Spanish
- Albo presencia internacional · search the archive · Sold in more than 25 countries; Australia not named
Company details
- Headquarters
- Spain
- Last researched
- 30 October 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Albo ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/albo, last researched 30 October 2026, accessed [date].
- Method
- Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What Lacks transparency means
Something missing or wrong?
Grades are opinions based on the evidence listed here. Send us evidence, or a right of reply if you represent Albo.