Appel Feinkost
Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 23 October 2026 · 7 sources
German canned herring and fish brand made in Cuxhaven by Maris Food.
Until Appel Feinkost 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.
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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 Germany are about 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 Appel Feinkost's own disclosure: it makes its products in its own factories.
| Country | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Germany | Strong protections | About 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 Germany" 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. Source
- 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 Appel's canned herring, mackerel and other fish preserves are made at its own cannery in Cuxhaven, Germany, where about 330 people worked in 2022 and herring is still packed into cans by hand. It moved its whole herring and mackerel range to MSC-certified fish from 2009 and still launches MSC herring products, but does not name the fisheries, vessels or boat crews behind its fish, and no independent crew checks are reported. Its owners were in a court dispute over the company's future in 2026.
Sources and actions
Sources 7
Show all 7 sources
- Übernahme: Sustainable & Invest wird neuer Eigentümer von Appel Feinkost (Lebensmittel Praxis, 2022) · search the archive · Heristo sold Appel's production operations and brand in Cuxhaven, with about 330 employees, to Sustainable & Invest from 1 January 2023
- Fischkonserven: Eigentümer streiten über die Zukunft von Appel (Lebensmittel Zeitung, 2026) · search the archive · Maris Food makes Appel products at its Cuxhaven cannery; shareholders in a court dispute over control in July 2026
- Appel MSC Heringsfilets in Honig-Senf-Sauce (Lebensmittel Praxis, 2024) · search the archive · MSC-certified herring fillets launched in March 2024; fishing area not named
- New target groups: Appel Feinkost focuses on a new brand image and fresh products (heristo, 2021) · search the archive · Canned fish is Appel's core line, made at its Cuxhaven site
- German producer Appel Feinkost commits to sustainable fishing (World Fishing) · search the archive · MSC label extended to all 29 herring products and the mackerel fillets, the complete herring and mackerel range
- Appel Feinkost dedicated to sustainable fishing (Fiskerforum, 2009) · search the archive · November 2009: Appel of Cuxhaven to label its complete herring and mackerel range MSC
- Appel MSC filézett sült hering (Kifli.hu) · search the archive · Made by Appel Feinkost, origin Germany, MSC label; sold through European online grocers, no Australian stockist found
Company details
- Headquarters
- Germany
- Employees
- About 330
- Last researched
- 23 October 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Appel Feinkost ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/appel-feinkost, last researched 23 October 2026, accessed [date].
- Method
- Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What Lacks transparency means
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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