Clover Leaf
Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 23 October 2026 · 12 sources
Canadian canned tuna, salmon and seafood brand owned by Taiwan's FCF.
Clover Leaf's supply chain was linked to forced labour in 2019, which it didn't act on.
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Why it's graded Lacks transparency
- Not met: Meets 1 of 6 Good requirements.
- Holds the grade back: It has 2 red flags: no evidence of a living wage 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 labour link, last recorded in 2019) 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 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.
- 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 2
- Red flag: No evidence it pays a living wage
- 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
Clover Leaf names some of the countries it makes in: Thailand, the United States, Poland, Morocco, Indonesia, Vietnam, South Korea and China. 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 |
| China | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| Vietnam | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| Indonesia | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| United States | Systematic violations | Below a living wage | Low |
| Poland | Regular violations | Close to a living wage | Moderate |
| Morocco | Regular violations | Well below a living wage | Low |
| South Korea | No guarantee of rights | Close to a living wage | Low |
| 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.
- Traces most of its fish and seafood to named fishing boats or farms
- Modern slavery statement
- Independent social audits of all its main factories
- 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 Clover Leaf's products for Canada are packed by outside processors in Thailand, the US, Poland and Morocco, with specialty lines from Indonesia, Vietnam, South Korea and China; its own Blacks Harbour, New Brunswick plant packs sardines. Parent FCF supplies most of its tuna. Trace My Catch codes on tuna, salmon and sardine cans name the boat, and all skipjack, yellowfin and wild salmon is MSC certified. Land-based suppliers get SMETA audits, but no independent checks of fishing crews are reported; a promised third-party audit programme for tuna fleets was due by 2025.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Business & Human Rights Resource Centre | Listed | Clover Leaf answered the Resource Centre's 2018-19 Pacific canned tuna survey, with answers mirroring sister company Bumble Bee's. View |
| KnowTheChain | Not covered | Neither Clover Leaf nor FCF is among the 45 companies in the 2026 KnowTheChain food and beverage benchmark. View |
| News reporting and NGO investigations | Listed | Clover Leaf ranked 11th of 14 with 27.8%, below the 50% pass mark, in Greenpeace Canada's 2011 canned tuna ranking, and scored poorly again in 2013. 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? |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Link through a supplierGreenpeace's 2022 investigation found forced labour indicators among fishers on six vessels supplying parent FCF and sister brand Bumble Bee, and catch from the Da Wang, whose crew were indicted on forced labour charges, supplied Bumble Bee; Clover Leaf sources most of its tuna from FCF (Above Ground, 2024). Source · archived copy | NoClover Leaf says vessels with credible forced labour allegations go on an exclusion list (2026), but no source says the named vessels were dropped or the fishers given remedy. |
Sources and actions
Sources 12
Show all 12 sources
- Above Ground: Mandating corporate action to end forced labour in seafood supply chains (Sept 2024) · search the archive · Clover Leaf is owned by and sources most of its tuna from FCF; FCF sourced from vessels with forced workers, including the Da Wang
- Greenpeace investigation finds suspected human rights abuse by suppliers of major US and Taiwanese seafood company (Greenpeace Canada, Sept 2022) · archived copy · Forced labour indicators on six vessels supplying Bumble Bee and FCF; Da Wang catch supplied Bumble Bee; Clover Leaf named as sister company
- Pacific canned tuna supply chains (Business & Human Rights Resource Centre) · search the archive · Clover Leaf and Bumble Bee share policies, reflected in mirrored survey responses
- Clover Leaf Seafoods Tuna 2018-19 Response (Business & Human Rights Resource Centre) · search the archive · Clover Leaf's response to the 2018-19 Pacific canned tuna survey
- 2026 KnowTheChain Food and Beverage Benchmark (Business & Human Rights Resource Centre) · search the archive · 45 companies assessed; Clover Leaf and FCF not included
- Seafood Progress: Clover Leaf (SeaChoice) · search the archive · All wild salmon, pollock, skipjack and yellowfin products MSC certified; tuna fleet audit programme committed for 2025
- Greenpeace ranks tuna brands; few get a pass (Canadian Grocer, 2011) · search the archive · Clover Leaf 11th of 14 with 27.8%; 50% pass mark
- Clover Leaf scores poorly in Greenpeace tuna ranking (IntraFish, 2013) · search the archive · Clover Leaf scored poorly in Greenpeace's 2013 ranking
- Clover Leaf chunk light tuna (Voila, Canada) · search the archive · Sold through Canadian grocery retail
Published by Clover Leaf or its owner
- Clover Leaf 2026 Canadian Modern Slavery Law Annual Report · search the archive · Processing countries for Canada: TH, US, PL, MA, plus ID, VN, KR, CN; own Blacks Harbour sardine plant; 289 staff; SMETA audits of Tier 1 land suppliers; vessel exclusion list
- Guide to product code for Trace My Catch (Clover Leaf) · search the archive · Can code shows catch location, fishing method, vessel name and country of origin for tuna, salmon and sardines
- Chunk Light Tuna Skipjack in Water (Clover Leaf) · search the archive · MSC certified skipjack, traceable through Trace My Catch
Company details
- Headquarters
- Canada
- Employees
- About 290
- Last researched
- 23 October 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Clover Leaf ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/clover-leaf, last researched 23 October 2026, accessed [date].
- Method
- Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What Lacks transparency means
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Grades are opinions based on the evidence listed here. Send us evidence, or a right of reply if you represent Clover Leaf.