Chicken of the Sea
Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 23 October 2026 · 10 sources
US canned tuna and seafood brand owned by Thailand's Thai Union Group.
Linked to Forced labourChild labour
Forced and child labour were found in Chicken of the Sea's supply chain in 2015, which it has only partly put right, and it has no full independent audit.
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 0 of 6 Good requirements.
- Holds the grade back: It has 3 red flags: no evidence of a living wage, a hidden, unaudited supply chain in high-risk countries and forced or child labour. Two or more red flags means a poor grade.
- It isn't Harm on record: the most serious problem on its record (forced and child labour, last recorded in 2015) is more than 5 years old.
- 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 0 of 6
- Not met: Pays a living wage, or holds a strong fair-pay certificationLiving wage: no evidence
- Not met: Respects worker rightsMost of its products are made in countries such as Thailand and China, where unions are heavily restricted, and it has no full supply chain audit.
- Not met: Supply chain independently audited or certified, or at least 80% made in countries with strong labour standards
- Not 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, mostly in countries with poor worker rights
- Red flag: Forced, slave or child labour found in or linked to its supply chain
Stars it would earn as Good
None yet. Stars only show on Good companies. About stars
Where it's made
Chicken of the Sea says it makes products in the United States. Product labels show Thailand. The rest is shown as where fish and seafood are usually processed.
| Country | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thailand | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| United States | Systematic violations | Below a living wage | Low |
| 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
- Traces most of its fish and seafood to named fishing boats or farms
- It traces some of its catch or holds environmental labels such as MSC, ASC or BAP, but doesn't show both that its catch is traced to the boat or farm and that crews' or farm workers' conditions are checked independently.
Research notes Chicken of the Sea cans tuna at its own plant in Georgia, US, which processes only pre-cooked loins bought in from elsewhere; flavoured pouches are labelled Product of Thailand, and the loin suppliers are not named. A can-code tool traces tuna to the boat that caught it. Parent Thai Union says its tuna vessels are covered by a vessel code of conduct and some third-party audits with crew interviews, but it publishes no vessel list and the share independently checked is unclear. Only light tuna packets and salmon are MSC certified. It is sold in North America, not Australia.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Business & Human Rights Resource Centre | Problem found | The Resource Centre carries the 2015 AP investigation naming Chicken of the Sea among brands whose supply chains received slave-peeled shrimp from Thailand. View |
Confirmed issues 1
Only confirmed problems are listed, and old ones drop off after 10 to 15 years. A problem the company has fully put right no longer counts against it, and nor does one it finds and is fixing itself. How problems are counted
| Last recorded | What happened | Made amends? |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | A 2015 Associated Press investigation found migrants, including children, held in Thai sheds and forced to peel shrimp for little or no pay, and traced the shrimp through US customs records into Chicken of the Sea's supply chain. Source · search the archive | PartlyThai Union said it would stop using outside shrimp pre-processors, bring all peeling in-house by the end of 2015 and offer jobs to affected workers. |
Sources and actions
Sources 10
Show all 10 sources
- AP: Global supermarkets selling shrimp peeled by slaves (Business & Human Rights Resource Centre) · search the archive · 2015 AP investigation traced slave-peeled shrimp into Chicken of the Sea's supply chain; Thai Union to bring shrimp processing in-house and give jobs to workers
- Thailand slaves shrimp (Fortune, 14 Dec 2015) · search the archive · AP traced slave-peeled shrimp to Chicken of the Sea; Thai Union to stop using outside pre-processors by 31 December 2015
- Thai Union to ramp up overseas production in response to US tariffs (FoodNavigator, 2025) · search the archive · Thai Union's Lyons factory in the US currently processes only loins; US-bound exports come from Thailand
- Chicken of the Sea invites customers to digitally trace their tuna with new app (SeafoodSource, 2016) · search the archive · Can code shows fishing vessel name, flag, trip dates and FAO catch area
- Chicken of the Sea seeks exception to Buy American mandate for tuna (Samoa News) · search the archive · Lyons, Georgia cannery processes over 150 million cans of tuna for North American consumption
- Chicken of the Sea Wild Caught Light Tuna Sweet & Spicy (Giant Food Stores) · search the archive · Flavoured tuna pouch labelled 'Product Of Thailand'
Published by Chicken of the Sea or its owner
- Why COSI 2025 (Chicken of the Sea) · search the archive · Own USA tuna plant in Georgia; light tuna packets and all salmon MSC certified, other lines planned for 2025-26; full traceability for tuna and salmon
- From sea to shelf: inside our canning process (Chicken of the Sea) · search the archive · Consumers can trace a product to the very boat that caught the fish; supplier facilities get announced and unannounced third-party visits
- Thai Union marks 10 years of leadership in tuna sustainability (Thai Union, June 2026) · search the archive · 100% of tuna traced to vessel or group of vessels; 99% of tuna volume covered by Fisher Work & Welfare, vessel code audits, improvement plans or equivalent
- Tuna vessels demonstrate continuous improvement in social and labor standards (Thai Union) · search the archive · Third-party audits of 119 tuna vessels with over 850 crew interviewed, 2018-2020; share of supply covered not stated
Company details
- Owned by
- Thai Union Group
- Headquarters
- United States
- Last researched
- 23 October 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Chicken of the Sea ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/chicken-of-the-sea, last researched 23 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 Chicken of the Sea.