Palmera
Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 23 October 2026 · 9 sources
Italian canned tuna brand owned by Bolton Food, part of Bolton Group.
Palmera can't show that the workers who make its products in Ecuador and Côte d'Ivoire 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 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, 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 Ecuador 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
- 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 2
- 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
Stars it would earn as Good
None yet. Stars only show on Good companies. About stars
Where it's made
Palmera names some of the countries it makes in: Italy, Ecuador and Côte d'Ivoire. The rest is shown as where fish and seafood are usually processed.
| Country | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ecuador | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| Italy | Strong protections | Close to a living wage | Low |
| Côte d'Ivoire | Regular violations | Far below 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 |
| 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.
- 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.
Research notes Palmera said in 2013 that its tuna is canned at an Italian plant and at EU-approved plants in Ecuador and Côte d'Ivoire; it has given no newer list. Bolton Food says 84.3% of the tuna for its brands, including Palmera, came from MSC fisheries in 2025, and publishes the full list of vessels it bought tuna from (399 in 2024, 177 of them Indonesian-flagged). It reports supplier checks through EcoVadis and a vessel code of conduct, but no independent crew checks such as RFVS.
Sources and actions
Sources 9
Show all 9 sources
- Human Rights Impact Assessment of Bolton Food's canned tuna supply chain in Ecuador (Oxfam Italy) · Oxfam Italy assessed actual and potential human rights impacts on workers in Bolton's tuna processing plants in Manta, Ecuador, and on Eastern Pacific fishing vessels (2021-22), including living wages
- Bolton Food first-year assessment shows stronger efforts needed (Greenpeace) · May 2021: audit could not confirm that Bolton-owned Tri-Marine's vessels meet Bolton's human rights policies, citing lack of evidence; progress slow
- Tonno Palmera: etichetta e provenienza, risponde l'azienda (Il Fatto Alimentare, 2013) · search the archive · Palmera says it has an Italian plant and also uses EU-approved plants in Ecuador and Côte d'Ivoire
- Bolton Food - company profile (Rio Mare Qualità Responsabile) · search the archive · Bolton Food brands include Rio Mare, Palmera, Saupiquet, Isabel and Cuca; main plants Cermenate (Italy) and Quimper (France)
- Bolton Food ISSF supply chain transparency report, 2025 data (2026) · search the archive · Covers Rio Mare, Palmera, Saupiquet and Pêcheurs de France; 84.3% of tuna from MSC fisheries, 14.0% from FIPs; all suppliers ISSF participants
- List Vessels 2024 - Bolton (WWF Italia) · search the archive · Complete list of the 399 vessels Bolton Food received tuna from in 2024; Indonesia, Ecuador, Spain and France the main flags
- Bolton Group Sustainability Report 2024 (short report) · search the archive · Over 240 suppliers assessed via EcoVadis; seafood supplier due diligence system; no crew audits described
- Vessel code of conduct for tuna suppliers (Bolton Food) · search the archive · Bolton Food sets a code of conduct for tuna supplier vessels
- Il test sul tonno Palmera all'olio di oliva (Altroconsumo, 2024) · search the archive · Palmera tuna sold in Italy; processing country not shown on the pack; caught in the Western Indian Ocean
Company details
- Owned by
- Bolton Food (Bolton Group)
- Headquarters
- Italy
- Last researched
- 23 October 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Palmera ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/palmera, 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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Grades are opinions based on the evidence listed here. Send us evidence, or a right of reply if you represent Palmera.