Safcol
Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 23 October 2026 · 6 sources
Australian canned tuna and salmon brand owned by Thailand's Tropical Canning.
There's no proof Safcol pays more than the legal minimum, which in Thailand is below a living wage, and it has no full independent audit.
Other canned and pouched fish brands
Nothing we've rated in canned and pouched fish is better than Lacks transparency yet.
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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 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 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 product labels; Safcol 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thailand | 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
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 Safcol tuna is labelled a product of Thailand, where its parent Tropical Canning runs a tuna cannery in Hat Yai that makes the SAFCOL brand; Safcol does not name the plants that pack its Australian range. Safcol says it traces catch through catch certificates and that factories are audited, but gives no auditor, results, vessel list or crew checks. Tropical Canning lists ISSF membership, dolphin-safe sourcing and ISO 45001, but no social audit scheme.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Business & Human Rights Resource Centre | Listed | Safcol answered the Resource Centre's 2018/19 Pacific canned tuna survey: no external modern slavery reporting, no remediation plan, and a suggestion box as its worker grievance channel. View |
Sources and actions
Sources 6
Show all 6 sources
- Safcol - Tuna 2018-19 Response (Business & Human Rights Resource Centre) · search the archive · Safcol self-reports catch certificates, no transhipment at sea, periodic factory audits, a suggestion box for complaints, no external modern slavery reporting and no remediation plan
- Tropical Canning profile (Thailand Board of Investment e-Journal, 2021) · search the archive · Hat Yai canner of tuna, sardines, salmon and pet food; about 90% exported, mainly to the US, Canada, Europe and Australia
- Safcol Tuna in Springwater - IGA · search the archive · Sold at IGA; country of origin stated as Thailand
- Safcol Australia breaks ground on $80m Adelaide manufacturing facility (Business News Australia, June 2026) · search the archive · Safcol Australia's parent company is Thailand-based Tropical Canning; Elizabeth site houses warehousing and import business
- Tropical Canning (Thailand) - Company history · search the archive · Tropical Canning, based in Hat Yai, uses brands including SAFCOL and exports to Australia
- Tropical Canning (Thailand) - Quality certification · search the archive · Lists MSC sourcing, ISSF membership, dolphin safe, ISO 9001, ISO 45001 and ISO 14001; no social audit scheme
Company details
- Headquarters
- Australia
- Last researched
- 23 October 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Safcol ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/safcol, 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 Safcol.