Gold Seal
Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 23 October 2026 · 7 sources
Canadian canned salmon, tuna and sardine brand owned by Ocean Brands.
There's no proof Gold Seal pays more than the legal minimum, which in the United States is below a living wage, and it has no full independent audit.
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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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 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 1 of 6
- Not met: Pays a living wage, or holds a strong fair-pay certificationLiving wage: no evidence
- Not met: Respects worker rightsSome 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
- 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: Made partly 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 press and retailer reports; Gold Seal doesn't say where its products are made. The rest is shown as where fish and seafood are usually processed.
| Country | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | Systematic violations | 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.
- 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 Gold Seal's canned salmon is caught and canned in Alaska, mainly from MSC-certified Bristol Bay sockeye and pink salmon; its sardines and mackerel come from several countries that are not named, and the processors of its tuna are not disclosed. Owner Ocean Brands named Thai Union and FCF as tuna suppliers in 2019 and said its plants are audited under SMETA or BSCI, but it publishes no plant or vessel list and no independent crew checks. Ocean Brands is a Certified B Corp (score 90.3). Its 2016 pole-and-line pledge excluded Gold Seal tuna.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| B Corp directory | Certified | Owner Ocean Brands is a Certified B Corp, certified since 2019, with a current overall score of 90.3 (91.3 in 2019). View |
| Business & Human Rights Resource Centre | Problem found | Ocean Brands answered the Resource Centre's 2018-19 tuna supply chain survey, reporting no modern slavery cases found in 2018. View |
Sources and actions
Sources 7
Show all 7 sources
- Ocean Brands - B Corp directory · search the archive · Certified B Corp since 2019, overall score 90.3; brands Ocean's, Gold Seal, Millionnaires; operates in Canada
- Ocean Brands - Tuna 2018-19 survey response (Business & Human Rights Resource Centre) · search the archive · Plants audited via SMETA or BSCI; grievances received via suppliers Thai Union and FCF; boat social audits still being worked on; no public human rights commitment
- Ocean Brands widens portfolio of MSC-certified canned seafood options (SeafoodSource, 2022) · search the archive · 70% of Ocean Brands' portfolio MSC-certified in 2022, not broken down by brand
- BC's Gold Seal to celebrate its 100th anniversary (Business in Vancouver, 2019) · search the archive · Gold Seal salmon all comes from Alaska, where it is also canned; MSC Bristol Bay salmon; sardines and mackerel from several countries; Ocean Brands does not fish
- Gold Seal Celebrates 100 Years of Excellence in Sustainable Seafood (Jim Pattison Group, 2019) · search the archive · Gold Seal is part of Ocean Brands, a Jim Pattison Group division; sells salmon, sardines and mackerel
- Ocean Brands (TriWest Capital Partners portfolio) · search the archive · TriWest invested in Ocean Brands in May 2026; brands include Ocean's and Gold Seal; shelf-stable salmon, tuna, sardines and mackerel
- Pattison-owned seafood firm commits to sustainability overhaul (2016) · search the archive · Gold Seal salmon from MSC fisheries from 2016; tuna pledge does not cover Gold Seal tuna; supplier code with SAI Global audits
Company details
- Headquarters
- Canada
- Last researched
- 23 October 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Gold Seal ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/gold-seal, last researched 23 October 2026, accessed [date].
- Method
- Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What Lacks transparency means
Something missing or wrong?
Grades are opinions based on the evidence listed here. Send us evidence, or a right of reply if you represent Gold Seal.