Brunswick
Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 23 October 2026 · 10 sources
Canned sardine and herring snack brand of Clover Leaf, owned by Bumble Bee.
Until Brunswick 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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Compare Brunswick with another brand
Why it's graded Lacks transparency
- Not met: Meets 1 of 6 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 underpaid or unprotected.
Good requirements 1 of 6
- Not met: Pays a living wage, or holds a strong fair-pay certificationLiving wage: no evidence
- Not met: Respects worker rightsJudged on where its products are made: worker rights are poorly protected in Thailand, China and Vietnam.
- Not met: Supply chain independently audited or certified, or at least 80% made in countries with strong labour standards
- Met: No child or forced labour findings or links
- Not met: Names the factories or farms that make its products, or is fully certified by a scheme that holds and audits that list
- Not met: Traces its catch to the boat or farm and has crews' or farm workers' conditions checked independently
Red flags 3
- Red flag: No evidence it pays a living wage
- Red flag: Hidden supply chain: no certification, independent audits or supplier list
- 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
Brunswick says it makes products in Canada. Product labels show Poland and Latvia. The rest is shown as where fish and seafood are usually processed.
| Country | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canada | Regular violations | About a living wage | Low |
| Poland | Regular violations | Close to a living wage | Moderate |
| Latvia | Strong protections | Not rated | Low |
| ThailandUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| ChinaUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| VietnamUsual for the industry | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| IndonesiaUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| IndiaUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | High |
| AustraliaUsual for the industry | Strong protections | About a living wage | Low |
| EcuadorUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| NorwayUsual for the industry | 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.
- Makes part of its range in its own factories
- 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 Brunswick herring and sardines are packed at Connors Bros.' own plant in Blacks Harbour, New Brunswick, Canada, which employs up to 450 people a season and cut over 20% of jobs in 2024 after a herring quota cut. Other sardines, including those sold in Australia and the UK, are labelled made in Poland, and brisling sardines Latvia, by processors that are not named. The brand publishes no supplier or vessel list, no certification for the range and no checks of crews or plant workers. Forced labour findings against owner Bumble Bee concern its tuna boats, not Brunswick's fish.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| KnowTheChain | Not covered | Neither Brunswick's owner Bumble Bee nor its parent FCF is among the 45 companies in the 2026 KnowTheChain food and beverage benchmark. View |
| US Department of Labor goods lists | Not listed | Seafood from Canada, Poland and Latvia is not on the US Department of Labor's list of goods produced with child or forced labour. View |
Sources and actions
Sources 10
Show all 10 sources
- 2026 KnowTheChain Food and Beverage Benchmark (Business & Human Rights Resource Centre) · search the archive · 45 companies assessed; Bumble Bee and FCF not included
- Connors Bros. layoffs at Blacks Harbour plant (CBC News, 2024) · search the archive · Connors Bros. is a division of Clover Leaf Seafoods, owned by Bumble Bee Seafood Company of San Diego
- Connors Bros. announces workforce reductions at New Brunswick operation (Business Wire, Sept 2024) · search the archive · Connors Bros., a division of Clover Leaf Seafoods, runs the Blacks Harbour plant (up to 450 staff), supplies canned sardines under the Brunswick brand; over 20% of jobs cut
- Brunswick Sardines in Springwater 106g (Woolworths Australia) · search the archive · Sold by Woolworths in Australia; labelled Made in Poland
- Brunswick Sardines in Oil (Morrisons) · search the archive · Country of origin Poland; packed for Clover Leaf Seafoods Corp., Blacks Harbour, NB, Canada
- Brunswick Sardines in Soybean Oil (Giant Food) · search the archive · Product of Poland
- Brunswick Kipper Style Herring Fillets Seafood Snacks (Stop & Shop) · search the archive · Product of Canada
- Brunswick Boneless Butterflied Sardine Fillets in Spring Water (Hannaford) · search the archive · Product of Canada
- Brunswick Wild Caught Gourmet Brisling Sardines in Extra Virgin Olive Oil (Hannaford) · search the archive · Product of Latvia
Published by Brunswick or its owner
- Bumble Bee Seafood Company continues to accelerate sustainability action plans (Bumble Bee, May 2021) · search the archive · Brunswick is one of the Bumble Bee Seafood Company's brands, with Bumble Bee, Clover Leaf, Snow's, Wild Selections and Beach Cliff
Company details
- Headquarters
- Canada
- Last researched
- 23 October 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Brunswick ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/brunswick, 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.
Something missing or wrong?
Grades are opinions based on the evidence listed here. Send us evidence, or a right of reply if you represent Brunswick.