Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 23 October 2026 · 7 sources
Indonesian canned sardine, mackerel and tuna brand of PT Maya Muncar.
Maya 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 1 of 6 Good requirements.
- Holds the grade back: It has 3 red flags: no evidence of a living wage, a hidden, unaudited supply chain 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 rightsMost of its products are made in 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
- 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: Hidden supply chain, mostly in countries with poor worker rights
- 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; Maya doesn't say where its products are made.
| Country | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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.
- 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 Maya products are registered with Indonesia's food regulator BPOM by PT Maya Muncar, which has run sardine, mackerel and tuna canning divisions in Muncar, Banyuwangi (East Java) since 1978; Maya appeared as a locally made brand in BPOM's 2018 canned mackerel list. The plant cans fresh lemuru sardines bought from local fishers and frozen lemuru imported from China, Japan and Oman, and BPOM said in 2018 that the mackerel in the 11 local brands came frozen from China. No labour policy, supplier or vessel list, certification or crew checks are published.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| US Department of Labor goods lists | Listed | The US Department of Labor lists seafood from Indonesia, where Maya is canned, as produced with child or forced labour. View |
Sources and actions
Sources 7
Show all 7 sources
- US Department of Labor fishing fact sheet · search the archive · Seafood from Indonesia listed as produced with child or forced labour
- Over casual daily workers, company director summoned by minister (Hukumonline) · Indonesia's manpower minister summoned PT Maya Muncar's director in 2016: of ~700 staff, casual workers employed beyond legal limits and furloughed
- Daging Tuna Potong Dalam Minyak, MAYA (BPOM registration via productlist.id) · search the archive · Maya brand tuna registered by PT Maya Muncar, Banyuwangi, East Java; registration valid to 2030
- Makarel Dalam Saus Cabe, MAYA (BPOM registration via productlist.id) · search the archive · Maya brand canned mackerel registered by PT Maya Muncar
- Penanganan Bahan Baku Divisi Sardines di PT Maya Muncar Banyuwangi (Politeknik Negeri Jember, 2014) · search the archive · PT Maya Muncar, Muncar, Banyuwangi: tuna and sardine/mackerel divisions since 1978; fresh lemuru from local fishers and frozen lemuru from China, Japan and Oman
- 27 Daftar Makerel Bercacing, Ada Merek ABC dan Maya (Viva, 2018) · search the archive · BPOM 2018 list names Maya among 11 locally produced Indonesian canned mackerel brands; mackerel raw material from Chinese waters
- Ikan Makarel Bercacing Diduga dari Bahan Baku 2016 (Tirto, 2018) · search the archive · The 11 locally made canned mackerel products used frozen mackerel imported from China
Company details
- Headquarters
- Indonesia
- Last researched
- 23 October 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Maya ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/maya, 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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Something missing or wrong?
Grades are opinions based on the evidence listed here. Send us evidence, or a right of reply if you represent Maya.