King Oscar
Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 23 October 2026 · 9 sources
Norwegian sardine and tinned fish brand owned by Thai Union, canned in Poland.
Until King Oscar traces its fish and seafood to the boat or farm and has the conditions of the people who catch or farm it checked independently, it can't show that they are free and fairly paid.
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Why it's graded Lacks transparency
- Not met: Meets 3 of 6 Good requirements.
- Holds the grade back: It relies on fish and seafood that it can't trace to the boat or farm. That alone means a poor grade until it takes steps to trace it and check the conditions of the people who catch or farm it.
- 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 3 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
- 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 2
- Red flag: No evidence it pays a living wage
- Red flag: Relies on fish and seafood it can't trace to the boat or farm
- 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 King Oscar's own disclosure: it makes its products in its own factories. Its list covers only part of its range. The rest is shown as where fish and seafood are usually processed.
| Country | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Norway | Strong protections | About a living wage | Low |
| Poland | Regular violations | Close to a living wage | Moderate |
| 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 |
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
- Modern slavery statement
- 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 King Oscar names its own canneries in Gniewino, Poland (its primary facility) and Svolvaer, Norway, and Australian packs are labelled Made in Poland. Its brisling come from Norwegian fjords and the North Sea and its mackerel from the North Atlantic, but no fishing vessels are named and crews are not independently checked. Only some lines, such as mackerel and mussels, carry MSC or ASC labels. A supplier code bans trafficking and the brand cites Norway's Transparency Act, but publishes no audit results. Where anchovies and other bought-in lines are packed is not shown.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Business & Human Rights Resource Centre | Problem found | The Resource Centre carries the 2015 AP investigation into slave-peeled shrimp in parent Thai Union's supply chain. View |
| KnowTheChain | Not covered | Neither King Oscar nor Thai Union is among the companies assessed in the 2026 KnowTheChain food and beverage benchmark. View |
Sources and actions
Sources 9
Show all 9 sources
- AP: Global supermarkets selling shrimp peeled by slaves (Business & Human Rights Resource Centre) · search the archive · 2015 AP investigation found forced labour in Thai shrimp-peeling sheds feeding brands such as Thai Union's Chicken of the Sea; Thai Union to bring processing in-house
- 2026 KnowTheChain food and beverage benchmark · search the archive · List of companies assessed in February 2026; Thai Union not included
- King Oscar Sardines Olive Oil 105g - Woolworths · search the archive · Sold at Woolworths; labelled Made in Poland from local and imported ingredients
- King Oscar Royal Fillets Mediterranean Style Mackerel - Harris Teeter · search the archive · Mackerel line described as wild-caught, MSC certified North Atlantic mackerel
- Thai Union Poland specialises in premium canned fish for export markets (Eurofish, 2025) · search the archive · Thai Union's Polish plant, linked to King Oscar, cans sprats, herring and mackerel from the Baltic and North Seas
Published by King Oscar or its owner
- Sustainability - King Oscar · search the archive · Gniewino, Poland is the primary facility and Svolvaer, Norway also produces; MSC logo, ASC-certified mussels; complies with the Norwegian Transparency Act
- Thai Union Group announces the acquisition of King Oscar · search the archive · King Oscar has two plants, in Gniewino, Poland and Svolvaer, Norway, and Australia is one of its strongest markets
- About Us - King Oscar · search the archive · King Oscar joined Thai Union in 2014; production moved to a facility in Poland
- Supply Chain Transparency - King Oscar · search the archive · California supply chain disclosure: supplier code bans trafficking, independent supplier audits and written certification by direct suppliers
Company details
- Owned by
- Thai Union Group (Thailand)
- Headquarters
- Norway
- Last researched
- 23 October 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is King Oscar ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/king-oscar, 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.
Something missing or wrong?
Grades are opinions based on the evidence listed here. Send us evidence, or a right of reply if you represent King Oscar.