CP Foods
Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 23 October 2026 · 10 sources
Thai food group's brand of frozen prawns, prawn wontons and seafood meals.
Forced labour was found in CP Foods' supply chain in 2014, which it has only partly put right, and it has no full independent audit.
Know something we've missed? Send evidence. Represent CP Foods? Send a right of reply.
Compare CP Foods with another brand
Why it's graded Lacks transparency
- Not met: Meets 1 of 6 Good requirements.
- Holds the grade back: It has 3 red flags: no evidence of a living wage, unaudited production 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 labour, last recorded in 2014) 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 rightsMost of its products are made in countries such as Thailand and India, 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
- 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 3
- 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
Stars it would earn as Good
None yet. Stars only show on Good companies. About stars
Where it's made
From CP Foods's own disclosure: it makes its products in its own factories. Its list covers only part of its range. 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 |
| India | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | High |
| Malaysia | 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 |
| 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.
- Owns or runs its own production
- 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. Source
Research notes CP Foods breeds, feeds, farms and processes its own white prawns, mainly in Thailand, with a shrimp farming and processing plant in Malaysia and shrimp processing in India; it also farms in Vietnam, China and the US. It says its shrimp chain is BAP 4-star certified from feed mill to plant, but publishes no farm or plant list. Feed fishmeal must be MarinTrust-certified by-product, but no independent checks of crews or farm workers are reported. The prawn wontons sold at Woolworths come from Thailand. Its chicken and pork are not rated here.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| KnowTheChain | Not covered | Charoen Pokphand Foods is not among the companies assessed in the 2026 KnowTheChain food and beverage benchmark. 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? |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | A 2014 Guardian investigation found fishmeal from boats crewed by trafficked, beaten migrants was sold to CP Foods for its prawn feed; CP Foods acknowledged slave labour in its supply chain. Source · archived copy | PartlyCP Foods admitted the link, audited its feed chain, moved to certified and by-product fishmeal and co-founded a fishers' support centre; no compensation 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.
- A 2015 US class action against Costco over Thai farmed prawns alleged slave labour in CP Foods' feed supply chain; CP Foods called the lawsuit entirely without merit, and a judge dismissed it with prejudice in January 2017 (IntraFish, 2015; Top Class Actions, 2017). Source
Sources and actions
Sources 10
Show all 10 sources
- 2026 KnowTheChain food and beverage benchmark · search the archive · List of companies assessed in February 2026; CP Foods not included
- CFP audits shrimp feed chain as reports of slavery in Thai fish sector (FoodNavigator, 2014) · archived copy · Guardian found slave-crewed boats supplied fishmeal sold to CP Foods; CP acknowledged slavery in its supply chain and set fishmeal targets
- CP frozen products released into Woolworths (Inside FMCG, 2026) · search the archive · Three CP prawn wonton products launched at Woolworths in 2026
- CP Foods works to eradicate slavery in the Thai seafood supply chain (PRI, 2016) · search the archive · CP Foods mapped its fishmeal chain, set a foreign labour hiring policy, suspended some suppliers and strengthened labour audits
- CPF's Ban Bueng feed mill in Thailand secures ASC certification (The Fish Site, 2025) · search the archive · CPF says its shrimp supply chain is BAP 4-star certified across feed mills, hatcheries, farms and processing plants
- Thai Spicy Prawn Wonton Kee Mao Noodles CP Brand (Halal Thailand register) · search the archive · CP brand prawn wonton product registered as made in Thailand
- CP Foods: Costco lawsuit entirely without merit (IntraFish, 2015) · search the archive · CP Foods called the 2015 Costco slave labour lawsuit entirely without merit
Published by CP Foods or its owner
- CPF commits to build sustainable seafood industry (2021) · search the archive · Fishmeal from 100% MarinTrust-certified by-products; GDST traceability pilot; Fishermen Life Enhancement Center co-founded 2015
- Aquaculture business - CPF · search the archive · Shrimp operations run from CPF's own fry and feed to its own farms
- CPF reporting boundary 2025 · search the archive · Shrimp farming and processing plant in Malaysia; shrimp processing in India; aquaculture farming in Vietnam, China and the US
Company details
- Headquarters
- Thailand
- Last researched
- 23 October 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is CP Foods ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/cp-foods, last researched 23 October 2026, accessed [date].
- Method
- Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What Lacks transparency means
Other prawns and shellfish brands
Nothing we've rated in prawns and shellfish 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 CP Foods.