Coles Seafood
Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 23 October 2026 · 7 sources
Coles' own-brand canned, frozen and fresh-packed seafood in Australia.
Coles Seafood's supply chain was linked to forced and child labour in 2015, which it has only partly acted on, and it has no full independent audit.
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Why it's graded Lacks transparency
- Not met: Meets 0 of 6 Good requirements.
- Holds the grade back: It has 4 red flags: no evidence of a living wage, unaudited production in high-risk countries, forced or child labour and fish and seafood it can't trace to the boat or farm. 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 link, last recorded in 2015) was a link through a supplier, which the company has only partly acted on.
- 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 4
- Red flag: No evidence it pays a living wage
- Red flag: Made mostly in countries with poor worker rights, without a full independent audit of its supply chain
- Red flag: Forced, slave or child labour found in or linked to its supply chain
- Red flag: Relies on fish and seafood it can't trace to the boat or farmShown to explain the grade. It isn't one of the 3 red flags that set it.
- 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
Coles Seafood says it makes products in Thailand, Vietnam and South Africa. Press and retailer reports name Australia. 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 |
| Vietnam | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| Australia | Strong protections | About a living wage | Low |
| ChinaUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| South Africa | Regular violations | Below a living wage | Low |
| 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 |
| 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.
- Modern slavery statement
- 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 Coles names Thailand for its canned tuna and salmon and Vietnam, South Africa, Chile and Fiji for other seafood, and most of its fresh prawns are Australian. All its own-brand canned tuna, over 45 products, now carries the MSC label, but there is no published vessel, cannery or farm list, and no independent checks of crews. Its 2025 modern slavery statement flags deceptive recruitment in seafood processing but reports no seafood audit results, vessel checks or cases.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| KnowTheChain | Listed | Coles Group scored 55 out of 100 and ranked 2nd of 45 companies in the 2026 KnowTheChain Food & Beverage Benchmark; its scorecard names no seafood findings. View |
| Australian Modern Slavery Register | Listed | Covered by Coles Group's 2025 modern slavery statement, which lists canned tuna and salmon from Thailand and seafood from Vietnam, South Africa, Chile and Fiji as risk areas. 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 | Link through a supplierA 2015 Associated Press investigation found trafficked migrant workers, including children, forced to peel prawns at the Gig peeling shed supplying Thai Union; Coles confirmed it sourced frozen prawns from Thai Union (SBS, 2015). Source · archived copy | PartlyColes said its prawns did not come from the factory named and launched a supply chain investigation; no outcome or remedy for workers was reported. |
Unconfirmed reports
Credible reports that haven't been confirmed by a regulator, completed investigation or the company. They're shown for your information and don't affect the grade.
- The Outlaw Ocean Project reported in 2023 that Coles' seafood supply chain was linked to Shandong Haidu Ocean Product, a Chinese processor that received Uyghur workers through state labour transfers; Coles said it was not among its first- or second-tier suppliers and that it would investigate. Source
Sources and actions
Sources 7
Show all 7 sources
- Outlaw Ocean Project correspondence with Coles (2023) · search the archive · Shandong Haidu, which received Xinjiang workers, linked to Coles' supply chain; Coles said it was not in tier 1 or 2 and would investigate
- 2026 KnowTheChain Food & Beverage Scorecard: Coles · search the archive · Score 55/100, ranked 2nd of 45 in 2026
- Coles, Woolies, Aldi probe Thailand 'slavery' link (SBS, 2015) · archived copy · AP found forced and child labour at the Gig peeling factory; Coles stocked frozen prawns from Thai Union
- Coles canned tuna range to get tick of approval from Marine Stewardship Council (MSC, 2024) · search the archive · All Coles Own Brand canned tuna (45+ products) MSC certified; 75 own-brand MSC products incl. Australian banana prawns; sold in stores nationally
- Where to buy MSC seafood: Coles (MSC) · search the archive · All Coles Own Brand canned tuna carries the MSC label; Responsibly Sourced Seafood Policy covers own-brand seafood
- Major Australian supermarkets Thai Union supplier shrimp linked to human rights abuses (Australian Food News, 2015) · search the archive · Coles sourced prawns from Thai Union via an agent, denied link to the factory, said most fresh prawns are Australian and launched an investigation
Published by Coles Seafood or its owner
- Coles Group Modern Slavery Statement 2025 · search the archive · Canned tuna and salmon from Thailand; seafood from Vietnam, frozen seafood from Chile and South Africa, fish from Fiji; seafood processing at risk of deceptive recruitment
Company details
- Owned by
- Coles Group
- Headquarters
- Australia
- Last researched
- 23 October 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Coles Seafood ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/coles-seafood, 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 Coles Seafood.