Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 23 October 2026 · 8 sources
European frozen fish fingers, seafood and vegetable brand of Nomad Foods.
Iglo's supply chain was linked to forced labour in 2023, and there's no proof it pays more than the legal minimum, which in China is below a living wage.
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Why it's graded Lacks transparency
- Not met: Meets 0 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 link, last recorded in 2023) was a link through a supplier, not a finding against the company itself.
- 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 China and Thailand, 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 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
Iglo says it makes products in Germany. Nomad Foods' figures name Vietnam. Press and retailer reports name China. The rest is shown as where fish and seafood are usually processed.
| Country | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| China | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| Vietnam | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| ThailandUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| Germany | Strong protections | About 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 |
| 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
- Modern slavery statement
- 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 Iglo's fish fingers are made at Nomad's Bremerhaven plant in Germany (1.9 billion a year). Nomad has 17 factories in 11 countries plus co-packers, buys wild fish from the North Atlantic and Pacific and farmed fish from Vietnam, and says 99.9% of its seafood is MSC or ASC certified. It names no fish processors or vessels and reports no crew checks; a pilot assessment of four Vietnamese processors found living wages paid. Nomad does not say how much of its fish passes through Chinese processing plants.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| UK Modern Slavery Statement Registry | Listed | Parent Nomad Foods publishes a modern slavery statement for its UK and Norway operations (2025). View |
| Business & Human Rights Resource Centre | Listed | Nomad Foods responded in October 2023 to the Outlaw Ocean Project's Uyghur forced labour findings, denying supply from two named plants. 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? |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Link through a supplierA 2023 Outlaw Ocean Project and New Yorker investigation named Nomad Foods as a buyer of seafood from Chinese plants using Uyghur workers, and Dutch outlet NU.nl reported importers supplying such fish to Nomad for Iglo products (Undercurrent News, NU.nl, 2023). Source · archived copy | Not knownNomad said it takes no supply from Yantai Sanko or Qingdao Tianyuan and could not investigate without evidence; no remedy reported. |
Sources and actions
Sources 8
Show all 8 sources
- Report: Chinese plants using forced Uyghur labor supplying major European, US retailers (Undercurrent News, 2023) · archived copy · Outlaw Ocean / New Yorker report names Nomad Foods as a buyer of seafood from Chinese plants using Uyghur workers
- Met Oeigoerse dwangarbeid gemaakte vis ligt ook in Nederlandse schappen (NU.nl, 2023) · search the archive · Importers supply Chinese fish linked to Uyghur forced labour to Nomad Foods, which makes Iglo, Findus and Birds Eye products
- Nomad Foods response to Uyghur forced labour & migrant worker abuse in seafood supply chains (BHRRC, 2023) · search the archive · Nomad says it takes no supply from Yantai Sanko or Qingdao Tianyuan and received no evidence to investigate; Seafood Ethics Action Alliance member
- China: Investigation finds Indonesian worker abuse and Uyghur forced labour in seafood supply chains (BHRRC) · search the archive · Nomad Foods named; in July 2024 it was among 13 companies sent an NGO letter asking for investigation updates
- Bremerhaven: the capital of fish fingers (WFB Bremen) · search the archive · Iglo produces 1.9 billion fish fingers a year in Bremerhaven through subsidiary Frozen Fish International
- Dutch stores selling fish produced with Uyghur forced labor (NL Times, 2023) · search the archive · Iglo products linked via Nomad Foods; supermarkets and importers did not address Iglo supply chain abuses
Published by Iglo or its owner
- Nomad Foods Modern Slavery Act Statement 2025 · search the archive · 17 factories in 11 countries; 22 European markets; wild fish from North Atlantic and Pacific, farmed fish from Vietnam; 150 supplier sites audited; Vietnam processor pilot found living wage
- Nomad Foods Sustainability Report 2025 · search the archive · 99.9% of fish and seafood from MSC or ASC certified sources; group social audits and Sedex screening
Company details
- Owned by
- Nomad Foods
- Headquarters
- Germany
- Last researched
- 23 October 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Iglo ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/iglo, last researched 23 October 2026, accessed [date].
- Method
- Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What Lacks transparency means
Other frozen fish and seafood brands
Nothing we've rated in frozen fish and seafood is better than Lacks transparency yet.
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