Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 23 October 2026 · 6 sources
Malaysian fish ball and surimi brand of QL Resources.
Figo can't show that the workers who make its products in Indonesia earn a living wage, which workers there are very unlikely to.
Also worth knowing
It has no full independent audit.
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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, unaudited production in high-risk countries 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
- Not met: Respects worker rightsMost of its products are made in Malaysia and Indonesia, 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
- 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: 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
From QL Resources Berhad's supplier list, which covers Figo and its sister brands. Figo publishes no breakdown of its own, so the countries shown are the group's.
| Country | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Malaysia | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| Indonesia | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
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
- 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 Figo is one of QL Resources' consumer food brands, alongside OceanRia and others, selling fish balls and surimi products. QL runs its own deep-sea purse-seine fleet from Endau, Johor, and surimi and seafood plants in Sabah, Johor and Perak in Malaysia and Surabaya in Indonesia, and says its consumer food comes from its own production facilities, but does not say which plants make Figo or name its fish suppliers or vessels. It reports a zero recruitment fee policy for migrant workers, minimum wage compliance and two human rights due diligence audits in FY2026, but publishes no crew checks for its fishing fleet.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| US Department of Labor goods lists | Not listed | Malaysia is not among the countries the US Department of Labor lists for child or forced labour in seafood; Indonesia is. View |
Sources and actions
Sources 6
Show all 6 sources
- Seafood fact sheet: child labor and forced labor in seafood production (US Department of Labor, ILAB) · search the archive · Lists Indonesia but not Malaysia among countries with documented child or forced labour in seafood production
- QL Resources ESG Efforts Commendable But Work Still Needed (Business Today, 2026) · search the archive · MBSB Research notes gaps in QL's traceability and labour standards disclosures across its marine and other businesses
- Figo Fried Fish Ball 1kg (Tuk Tuk Mart) · search the archive · Figo frozen fish balls sold at retail abroad
Published by Figo or its owner
- Consumer Food (QL Resources) · search the archive · QL's consumer brands include Figo, Fresh Choice, OceanRia, Suria and Ikas; products include fishballs and surimi-based products; exports to over 18 countries
- Marine Products Manufacturing (QL Resources) · search the archive · Surimi and seafood plants in Tuaran (Sabah), Endau (Johor), Hutan Melintang (Perak) and Surabaya (Indonesia); deep-sea purse-seine fleet from Endau; HACCP and halal certificates only
- Social Responsibility: Labour Standards (QL Resources) · search the archive · Zero recruitment fee policy for migrant workers; minimum wage compliance; 2 sites assessed in human rights due diligence audits in FY2026; 22 substantiated harassment complaints in FY2026
Company details
- Owned by
- QL Resources Berhad (Malaysia)
- Headquarters
- Malaysia
- Last researched
- 23 October 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Figo ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/figo, 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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