Trident Seafoods
Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 23 October 2026 · 9 sources
US seafood company processing Alaskan pollock, salmon and crab.
Trident Seafoods' supply chain was linked to forced labour in 2024, which it has only partly acted on, and unsafe working conditions were documented in its supply chain in 2019.
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Why it's graded Lacks transparency
- Not met: Meets 0 of 6 Good requirements.
- Holds the grade back: It has 6 red flags: no evidence of a living wage, clear breaches of labour conditions, a hidden, unaudited supply chain in high-risk countries, forced or child labour, 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 (forced labour link, last recorded in 2024) was a link through a supplier, which the company has only partly acted on.
- 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 0 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 2019
- Not met: Supply chain independently audited or certified, or at least 80% made in countries with strong labour standards
- Not 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 6
- Red flag: No evidence it pays a living wage
- Red flag: Clear breaches of labour conditions
- Red flag: Hidden supply chain, mostly in countries with poor worker rights
- Red flag: Forced, slave or child labour found in or linked to its supply chain
- 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 4 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 4 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
Trident Seafoods says it makes products in the United States. Press and retailer reports name China. The rest is shown as where fish and seafood are usually processed.
| Country | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| China | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| United States | Systematic violations | Below a living wage | Low |
| ThailandUsual 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.
- Makes part of its range in its own factories
- 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 Trident processes fish caught by its own fleet and independent fishermen at 11 US plants (six in Alaska; others in Washington, Georgia and Minnesota), and sends headed and gutted salmon and some cod and pollock to contract plants in China for labour-intensive work such as pin-bone removal. It says it employs over 40 people in China for oversight and audits and uses SMETA audits, but it names no Chinese processors or boats, holds no certification shown to cover most of its range, and reports no independent crew checks. The Outlaw Ocean Project also questioned its European arm, Pickenpack.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| KnowTheChain | Not covered | Trident Seafoods is not among the 45 companies assessed in the 2026 KnowTheChain food and beverage benchmark. View |
Confirmed issues 2
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? |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Link through a supplierThe Outlaw Ocean Project reported in 2024 that Dalian Haiqing Food, a Chinese processor in Liaoning linked to Trident's supply chain, employed 50 to 70 North Korean workers, labour US law treats as forced (SeafoodSource, 2024). Source · archived copy | PartlyTrident suspended trade with Dalian Haiqing in January 2024 and began an independent investigation; it has published no findings. |
| 2019 | Alaska's workplace safety regulator cited Trident's Akutan plant in 2019 for 14 violations, including repeat serious failures to lock out machines and guard a drum dryer, after a worker's fingertip was amputated; proposed penalties were $270,723 (AKOSH, 2019). Source · archived copy | Not knownNo source says what Trident changed or paid after the citations. |
Sources and actions
Sources 9
Show all 9 sources
- Trident Seafoods Corporation (Pickenpack) - Outlaw Ocean Project discussion · search the archive · Trident confirmed dealings with Dalian Haiqing subsidiaries, suspended trade in January 2024 and announced an independent investigation
- Undercurrent News: Lunds, Trident, NFI respond to report spotlighting forced labor in China (2023) · search the archive · Trident not named in the 2023 Uyghur labour report; relies on China for some processing, mainly salmon; uses own staff to assess plants
- 2026 KnowTheChain Food and Beverage Benchmark (Business & Human Rights Resource Centre) · search the archive · 45 companies assessed; Trident Seafoods not included
- AKOSH citation and notification of penalty, Trident Seafoods Akutan (2019) · archived copy · Inspection Dec 2018-Jan 2019; repeat serious lockout and guarding violations, fingertip amputation; proposed penalties $270,723
- Trident, High Liner, Sysco cut ties with Chinese companies tied to North Korean labor (SeafoodSource, 2024) · archived copy · Outlaw Ocean found Dalian Haiqing employed 50-70 North Korean workers; Trident suspended the relationship and was investigating; SMETA audits
- Trident Seafoods finds doing business in China requires watchdogging processors (Anchorage Daily News, 2023) · search the archive · Trident uses Chinese contractors for pin-bone removal of salmon and some cod and pollock; over 40 staff in China for oversight and audits
Published by Trident Seafoods or its owner
- Our Plants (Trident Seafoods) · search the archive · 11 Trident plants, all in the US: six in Alaska, three in Washington, one each in Georgia and Minnesota; independent fishing fleets deliver to several plants
- Anchored In Responsibility (Trident Seafoods) · search the archive · Fish sold in the USA caught by its own fleet and independent partners; secondary processing facilities worldwide; no countries or vessels named
- Responsible Business (Trident Seafoods) · search the archive · Trident suspended trade with a Liaoning supplier over North Korean labour claims; independent investigation ongoing; on-site CSR staff in China
Company details
- Headquarters
- United States
- Last researched
- 23 October 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Trident Seafoods ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/trident-seafoods, 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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