Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 23 October 2026 · 7 sources
Spanish canned sardine, shellfish and tuna brand owned by Bolton Group.
Cuca publishes no certification, independent audit or supplier list.
Also worth knowing
Workers in Morocco are very unlikely to earn a living wage.
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Why it's graded Lacks transparency
- Not met: Meets 2 of 6 Good requirements.
- Holds the grade back: It has 3 red flags: no evidence of a living wage, a hidden supply chain 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, 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 2 of 6
- Not met: Pays a living wage, or holds a strong fair-pay certificationLiving wage: no evidence
- Met: Respects worker rights
- 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 farmShown to explain the grade. It isn't one of the 2 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
Cuca says it makes products in Spain. Press and retailer reports name Morocco. The rest is shown as where fish and seafood are usually processed.
| Country | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spain | Strong protections | Close to a living wage | Low |
| Morocco | Regular violations | Well below a living wage | 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 Bolton says Cuca is made in two plants in Galicia, Spain, where its sardines are cleaned and packed by hand; in 2026 some Cuca sardine cans were found labelled as packed in Morocco, without the packer named. Its sardines were reported in 2014 to come from fisheries off Galicia and northern Portugal. Bolton's published tuna vessel list and ISSF reporting cover Rio Mare, Palmera and Saupiquet, not Cuca, and no MSC certification, crew checks or audits are reported for Cuca's range.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| News reporting and NGO investigations | Listed | Parent Bolton Group ranked 7th of 30 in the World Benchmarking Alliance's 2023 Seafood Stewardship Index, scoring 40.1/100 and 11.0/40 on social responsibility. View |
| KnowTheChain | Not covered | Bolton Group is not among the companies assessed in the 2026 KnowTheChain food and beverage benchmark. View |
Sources and actions
Sources 7
Show all 7 sources
- 2023 Seafood Stewardship Index rankings (World Benchmarking Alliance) · search the archive · Bolton Group 7th of 30, 40.1/100, social responsibility 11.0/40
- 2026 KnowTheChain Food and Beverage Benchmark (BHRRC) · search the archive · Companies assessed in 2026; Bolton not included
- In pictures: Conservas Cuca artisanal processing for premium sardines (Undercurrent News, 2014) · search the archive · Cuca sardine plant in Boiro, Galicia; local women head and gut by hand; sardines from Galicia and northern Portugal
- Conditionné au Maroc: la petite mention qui embarrasse une grande marque espagnole (Bladi.net, 2026) · search the archive · Some Cuca sardine cans labelled 'envasado en Marruecos' (packed in Morocco), September 2026; no company reply
- Bolton Food - company profile (Rio Mare Qualità Responsabile) · search the archive · Cuca one of Bolton Food's five brands; no vessel list or social audits stated for Cuca
- Cuca - MoVida producers · search the archive · Melbourne's MoVida sells Cuca anchovies, sardines, razor clams, mussels and squid in its online shop
Published by Cuca or its owner
- Cuca - Sea and love (Bolton Group) · search the archive · Cuca since 1932, part of Bolton since 2011; two plants in Galicia; tuna, sardines, mussels, cockles, clams, squid, anchovies
Company details
- Owned by
- Bolton Food (Bolton Group)
- Headquarters
- Spain
- Last researched
- 23 October 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Cuca ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/cuca, 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.
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