Titus
Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 23 October 2026 · 9 sources
Moroccan canned sardine brand made by Unimer, sold widely in West Africa.
Unsafe working conditions were documented in Titus's supply chain in 2020, and workers in Morocco are very unlikely to earn a living wage.
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Why it's graded Lacks transparency
- Not met: Meets 2 of 6 Good requirements.
- Holds the grade back: It has 4 red flags: no evidence of a living wage, clear breaches of labour conditions, a problem with pay, rights or safety with no fix shown 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: the most serious problem on its record (unsafe conditions, last recorded in 2020) is more than 5 years old.
- 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 2 of 6
- Not met: Pays a living wage, or holds a strong fair-pay certificationLiving wage: no evidence
- Not met: Respects worker rightsA confirmed problem counts against it: unsafe conditions, last recorded in 2020
- 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 4
- Red flag: No evidence it pays a living wage
- Red flag: Clear breaches of labour conditions
- Red flag: A confirmed problem with pay, rights or safety not shown to be put rightShown to explain the grade. It isn't one of the 2 red flags that set it.
- 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. Titus makes its products in its own factories, but we haven't recorded its countries from it yet.
| Country | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Morocco | Regular violations | Well below 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.
- Owns or runs its own production
- 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 Unimer, a listed Moroccan sardine and anchovy canner, owns the Titus trademark and makes the brand in Morocco; Titus is sold mainly in Africa and Asia, notably Nigeria, and since 2021 also in France and Belgium. Unimer runs its own canneries, including several in Safi. In 2014 it planned a cannery in Nouadhibou, Mauritania. Sardines come from Moroccan landings. It publishes no vessel list, certifications, supplier list or labour policies.
Confirmed issues 1
Only confirmed problems are listed, and old ones drop off after 10 to 15 years. A problem the company has fully put right no longer counts against it, and nor does one it finds and is fixing itself. How problems are counted
| Last recorded | What happened | Made amends? |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | In July 2020 about 400 COVID-19 cases were declared at a Unimer fish cannery in Safi; authorities closed four Unimer units for breaching health rules and prosecutors charged plant managers and worker transport staff (Le360, 2020). Source · archived copy | Not knownNo source reports what Unimer did for affected workers beyond the ordered closures. |
Sources and actions
Sources 9
Show all 9 sources
- Coronavirus: le parquet ordonne des poursuites contre les responsables de la conserverie Unimer à Safi (Le360, 2020) · archived copy · About 400 COVID-19 cases at a Unimer cannery in Safi; prosecution of managers and transport staff ordered; Unimer has three units in Safi
- Conserverie. Unimer s'africanise (TelQuel, 2014) · search the archive · Unimer planned its first African plant outside Morocco in Nouadhibou, Mauritania
- Foyers de contamination: les sardinières de Safi, nouvelles victimes du profit? (TelQuel, 2020) · Women workers at Unimer group's Etamar sardine cannery in Safi asked for Covid tests for days before hundreds were infected; unions angered.
- 100-year old Titus Sardine launches commercial campaign (BusinessDay) · search the archive · Titus is made by Morocco-based UNIMER Group and marketed in Nigeria
- Unimer chooses Trivium for its Titus seafood cans (Trivium Packaging, 2021) · search the archive · Moroccan canner Unimer's Titus sardines and anchovies; steel cans known mainly in Africa and Asia; new range for France and Belgium
- Unimer, S.A. Trademarks (Justia) · search the archive · Unimer S.A. owns the TITUS trademark for canned sardines
- Unimer: 4 unités de production fermées pour non-respect des mesures sanitaires (Boursenews, 2020) · search the archive · Four Unimer units in Safi closed in July 2020 for failing to follow health rules
- Le Groupe Unimer réalise un résultat net consolidé de 11 millions de dirhams en 2025 (AllAfrica, 2026) · search the archive · Unimer exports canned sardines and anchovies; lower fish landings cut 2025 sales
- Titus Sardines in Oil (H-E-B) · search the archive · Titus sardines retailed in the United States
Company details
- Owned by
- Unimer Group (Morocco)
- Headquarters
- Morocco
- Last researched
- 23 October 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Titus ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/titus-sardines, 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 Titus.