Young's Town
Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 23 October 2026 · 5 sources
Philippine canned sardine brand made by Maunlad Canning Corporation.
Young's Town can't show that the workers who make its products in the Philippines earn a living wage, which workers there are very unlikely to.
Also worth knowing
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 the Philippines 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 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 press and retailer reports; Young's Town 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Philippines | No guarantee of rights | Well 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 |
| 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 Young's Town sardines are made by Maunlad Canning Corporation, a family-owned Philippine canned goods maker described in press and a 2018 Senate resolution as a Philippine firm; its cannery location is not published. The company publishes no information on where its sardines are caught, which boats supply them, or how fishing crews and cannery workers are treated, and it holds no MSC or labour certification. No modern slavery statement or supplier list was found. Philippine sardine fishing carries child labour risk according to the US Department of Labor.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| US Department of Labor goods lists | Listed | The US Department of Labor's 2024 List of Goods names fish from the Philippines as produced with child labour. View |
Sources and actions
Sources 5
Show all 5 sources
- PH canning company receives international quality award (Department of Foreign Affairs, 2016) · search the archive · Maunlad Canning Company's main product is Young's Town Sardines; president Lapaz Kaw Ngo
- Senate Resolution commending Maunlad Canning Corporation (2018) · search the archive · Maunlad Canning Corporation is a family-owned corporation primarily engaged in manufacturing canned goods, maker of Young's Town sardines
- Philippine Senate press release, 5 September 2018 · search the archive · Senate resolution commends Maunlad Canning Corporation, maker of Young's Town sardines, as a Philippine firm
- 2024 List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor (US Department of Labor) · search the archive · Fish from the Philippines listed as produced with child labour
- Pinoy sardines maker wins big in Spain (ABS-CBN, 2016) · search the archive · Maunlad Canning Corporation is the Philippine manufacturer of Young's Town sardines and other canned goods
Company details
- Headquarters
- Philippines
- Last researched
- 23 October 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Young's Town ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/youngstown, 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 Young's Town.