John West
Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 23 October 2026 · 10 sources
Australian canned tuna and salmon brand owned by Simplot Australia.
There's no proof John West pays more than the legal minimum, which in Thailand and the United States is below a living wage, and it has no full independent audit.
Other canned and pouched fish brands
No canned and pouched fish brand we've graded is better than Lacks transparency yet. Other salmon and farmed fish brands do better.
See better-graded salmon and farmed fish brands · See every canned and pouched fish brand · Ask us to grade a canned and pouched fish brand
Know something we've missed? Send evidence. Represent John West? Send a right of reply.
Compare John West with another brand
Why it's graded Lacks transparency
- Not met: Meets 1 of 6 Good requirements.
- Holds the grade back: It has 2 red flags: no evidence of a living wage and unaudited production in high-risk countries. 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, which the company has acted on.
- 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.
- Checks its own supply chain. John West looks for problems in its own supply chain and publishes what it finds. It found forced labour in 2023 and is fixing it, so it doesn't count against the grade. It's listed below under Confirmed issues.
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 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
- Met: No child or forced labour findings it isn't fixingIts own checks found forced labour, which it is fixing. That's listed below and doesn't count against the grade. An unconfirmed report of forced labour is listed below. It doesn't affect the grade.
- 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 2
- 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
Stars it would earn as Good
None yet. Stars only show on Good companies. About stars
Where it's made
From product labels; John West doesn't say where its products are made.
| Country | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thailand | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| United States | Systematic violations | Below 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.
- Modern slavery statement
- 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 John West tuna is canned in Thailand from Pacifical (PNA) skipjack, and its salmon is Alaskan, packed in the US, as its labels show. Each tuna production code is traced from vessel to cannery through Pacifical's SmarTuna system, but no vessel or cannery list is published. PNA fisheries observers on the boats report on crew conditions, but they aren't labour audits. Simplot names China, Vietnam, New Zealand and Poland for its wider seafood processing without saying which brand each serves.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Australian Modern Slavery Register | Listed | Covered by Simplot Australia's annual modern slavery statement; the 2023/24 statement names John West tuna, Pacifical observers and 73 third-party supplier audits. View |
| Business & Human Rights Resource Centre | Listed | Simplot answered the Resource Centre's 2018/19 Pacific canned tuna survey, saying it was a Seafood Task Force member and had received no reports of modern slavery in 2018. View |
| News reporting and NGO investigations | Listed | Ranked 2nd of Australian canned tuna brands in Greenpeace's 2017 Tuna Guide, which weighted workers' treatment more heavily that year. 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 supplierSimplot Australia's 2022/23 modern slavery statement reported a substantiated finding that workers at a Thai seafood processing site supplying the group were charged recruitment fees when hired; the brand affected was not named. Source · search the archiveFound and being fixed by the company Not counted against the grade while the company is actively fixing it, because it found and published it itself. | YesThe site agreed to stop charging fees and Simplot helped fund repayment of the fees to affected workers, completed in 2023/24. |
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.
- The Outlaw Ocean Project (2023) named Simplot Australia as consignee of squid from a Chinese processor tied to vessels accused of illegal fishing, and Sedex flagged possible Xinjiang forced labour at a supplier; Simplot says it never bought from them. These were squid lines, not John West. Source
Sources and actions
Sources 10
Show all 10 sources
- Simplot - Tuna 2018-19 Response (Business & Human Rights Resource Centre) · search the archive · Simplot says it is a Seafood Task Force member and requires direct suppliers to join Sedex; no modern slavery reports in 2018
- Outlaw Ocean Project - Simplot Australia correspondence · search the archive · Simplot named as consignee of a 2022 squid shipment from Rongcheng Haibo; Simplot says it never purchased from it and the supplier was a contingency supplier
- Product recall: John West Tuna Tempters (ACCC Product Safety Australia) · search the archive · John West tuna can labelled 'Made in Thailand'
- Simplot Australian brand John West and Pacifical set milestone with GDST data exchange · search the archive · 105 tracking events from fishing and transshipment to processing sent via Pacifical's SmarTuna for each John West production code (May 2024)
- John West Wild Alaskan Pink Salmon - Woolworths · search the archive · Sold at Woolworths; labelled 'Product of United States of America'
- Tri Marine congratulates Simplot's John West · search the archive · Tri Marine is John West's exclusive canned tuna supplier, sourcing MSC-certified Pacifical tuna
- Heinz-owned canned tuna brand sinks to lowest spot on Greenpeace ranking (IntraFish) · search the archive · John West ranked 2nd in Greenpeace's 2017 Australian Tuna Guide, which scores workers' treatment
Published by John West or its owner
- Simplot Australia Modern Slavery Statement 2023/24 · search the archive · Seafood processed in NZ, Vietnam, Thailand, China, Poland, US; Pacifical observers on John West tuna trips; SmarTuna vessel-to-processing tracing; Thai recruitment fee remediation completed
- Simplot Australia Modern Slavery Statement 2022/23 · search the archive · Substantiated recruitment fees at a Thai seafood site, repayment plan with Simplot funding; observers report on working and living conditions on Pacifical tuna vessels
- John West Australia - Leaders in responsibly sourced seafood · search the archive · 100% of John West tuna and salmon products are MSC certified; 96% of range MSC or ASC certified; tuna traceable to the Western Pacific
Company details
- Headquarters
- Australia
- Last researched
- 23 October 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is John West ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/john-west, 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 John West.