Ocean Rise
Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Based on what Ocean Rise publishes, with few independent checks. Researched with AI assistance against published rules. Last researched 23 October 2026 · 8 sources · How we check
ALDI Australia's own label for canned tuna, salmon and other canned fish.
We couldn't confirm where it makes the rest, and most fish and seafood are processed in countries such as Thailand and China, where the legal minimum is below a living wage.
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Why it's graded Lacks transparency
Meets 1 of 6 Good requirements, with 3 red flags.Open why it has this gradeClose why it has this grade
- Not met: Meets 1 of 6 Good requirements.
- Holds the grade back: It has 3 red flags, 2 of which set the grade: 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, 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 confirmed child or forced labour findings or linksAn 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 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
Spain, Thailand, China and 6 more countries.Open where it's madeClose where it's made
From product labels; Ocean Rise 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spain | Strong protections | Close to 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
1 unconfirmed report, 3 things we found and what 1 independent source says.Open the evidenceClose the 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
- 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 ALDI does not say where OceanRise fish is canned; only its anchovies are labelled as from Spain. Its tuna comes from Indian Ocean and Western and Central Pacific fisheries flagged to Indonesia, the Maldives, Taiwan, Kiribati and Thailand, and its salmon from Alaska, as ALDI's Ocean Disclosure Project profile shows. The whole canned tuna range was moving to MSC certification by early 2026. ALDI publishes fisheries but no vessel or cannery list, and crews are not independently checked. It joined the Seafood Task Force in 2017 and the Global Tuna Alliance in 2021, and runs Issara worker voice tools at Thai seafood sites.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Australian Modern Slavery Register | Statement filed | Covered by ALDI Australia's 2023 modern slavery statement, which lists fish and seafood as a risk category, accepts BAP social audits and names no seafood processing countries or cases. View |
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) linked ALDI South Group suppliers to a Chinese squid processor handling catch from a vessel fleet tied to forced labour, and NGOs wrote to the group in 2024 about Uyghur and North Korean labour in Chinese seafood plants; the product named was sold by ALDI UK, not ALDI Australia. Source
Sources and actions
8 sources, company details, and how to send evidence or a right of reply.Open the sources and company detailsClose the sources and company details
Sources 8
Show all 8 sources
- Outlaw Ocean Project correspondence with ALDI South Group · search the archive · Links to Rongcheng Puchen squid processor (UK product); ALDI paused sourcing from named sites in 2023; 2024 NGO letter on Uyghur and North Korean labour
- ALDI recall: OceanRise Anchovy Fillets in Olive Oil (Queensland Health, 2023) · search the archive · OceanRise anchovy fillets, country of origin Spain
- OceanRise Anchovy Fillets recall (NSW Food Authority) · search the archive · OceanRise anchovies sold at all ALDI stores in Australia; country of origin Spain
- ALDI Australia - Ocean Disclosure Project · search the archive · 32 wild fisheries supplying ALDI brands in 2025, incl. skipjack and yellowfin tuna flagged to Indonesia, Maldives, Taiwan, Kiribati and Thailand, and Alaskan salmon; 22 certified
Published by Ocean Rise or its owner
- Responsibly Sourced Fish and Seafood at ALDI · search the archive · Tuna must be MSC chain of custody certified or in an MSC improvement programme; some tuna still under previous requirements; seafood disclosed on the Ocean Disclosure Project
- Ahoy! ALDI Australia is launching MSC-certified canned tuna (ALDI, December 2025) · search the archive · Entire Portview and Oceanrise canned tuna range moving to MSC certification, due to be completed by early 2026
- ALDI Australia Modern Slavery Statement 2023 · search the archive · Fish and seafood in supplier evaluation; BAP social audits accepted; Global Tuna Alliance partner since 2021; no seafood processing countries given
- ALDI Australia Modern Slavery Statement 2022 · search the archive · Issara worker voice programme focused on Thai fish and seafood sites; Seafood Task Force partner since 2017
Company details
- Headquarters
- Australia
- Last researched
- 23 October 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Ocean Rise ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/ocean-rise, 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 Ocean Rise.
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