Supermarkets & grocers
Much of the work behind a supermarket shelf, from picking and packing to cleaning the store, is done through labour hire firms and contractors, and that's where wages most often go missing.
27,700
salaried supermarket staff were covered by the 2025 Federal Court ruling that Coles and Woolworths didn't pay their full award entitlements
287
serious problems were found by Woolworths' audits of its NSW supply chain in two years, about a quarter of them about pay
15/100
was the average score of 45 of the world's biggest food companies on tackling forced labour in 2026
How the 12 brands we've graded split
- Good0 brands
- On Track0 brands
- Lacks transparency975% brands, a poor grade
- Harm on record325% brands, a poor grade
The industry at a glance
Woolworths and Coles sell about two-thirds of Australia's supermarket groceries, so how they check their suppliers reaches most of what Australians eat. (SBS News, 2025: Final supermarket report reveals world-leading profits, shrinkflation, no breakup (opens in a new tab))
Wages most often go missing at labour hire firms that supply workers to farms, where audits rarely reach. In 2026, workers who picked salad greens sold at Coles and Woolworths were still owed more than $260,000. (ABC News, 2026: Workers on Melbourne farm supplying Woolworths, Coles chase unpaid wages worth $260,000 (opens in a new tab))
Labour Lens grades a supermarket on where its own-brand and fresh food comes from and whether the farms and labour hire firms behind it are checked, and counts confirmed underpayment of its own staff and the contractors in its stores.
On the record
- In September 2025 the Federal Court found that Coles and Woolworths hadn't kept accurate records of salaried store managers' hours, or paid them everything the retail award required in each pay period. The two companies estimated it could cost them more than $1 billion between them. (SBS News, 2025: Woolworths and Coles say underpayment court decision could cost them $1 billion (opens in a new tab))
- Since 1 January 2025, intentionally underpaying a worker can be a crime in Australia, punishable by fines, prison or both. (Fair Work Ombudsman, 2025: New criminal underpayment laws have started (opens in a new tab))
- A NSW parliamentary inquiry heard in 2025 that migrant farm workers were living 10 to a house at $170 a bed. Woolworths told it that housing it inspected in one Queensland labour hire case was "appalling and unliveable". (Parliament of New South Wales, 2025: Modern slavery risks faced by temporary migrant workers in rural and regional NSW: transcript, 2 June 2025 (opens in a new tab))
- Lab testing for ABC's Four Corners in 2026 found 22% of the tomato products it tested weren't from the country on the label, and all of those came from China. The ACCC opened inquiries into ALDI, Coles and Leggo's, which reject the findings. (Inside Retail, 2026: ACCC probes Aldi, Coles after Four Corners tomato-sourcing claims (opens in a new tab))
- The US Department of Labor lists tomato products from China for forced labour, and palm oil from Malaysia and Indonesia for child and forced labour. (US Department of Labor, 2024: List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor (opens in a new tab))
- Since April 2025 the biggest supermarkets must follow a mandatory Food and Grocery Code, with penalties of $10 million or more, but it covers how they deal with suppliers, not what farm workers are paid. (Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, 2025: Mandatory Food and Grocery Code of Conduct comes into effect today (opens in a new tab))
- The US Department of Labor lists 17 resources in this industry from 42 countries as made with child or forced labour. See the list
Along the supply chain
Tomato paste, palm oil, seafood, cocoa, rice and sugar from overseas farms and fishing boats
What happens here
Several are on the US forced labour list, including tomato products from China and palm oil from Malaysia and Indonesia. Factory audits don't reach the farms.
What we check
Whether it shows where its high-risk ingredients come from, beyond the label.
Own-brand homewares, clothing and toys, mostly made in China
What happens here
Long hours and low pay are common. Audits check the factory but rarely the pay records behind it.
What we check
Whether it names its factories and has them audited independently.
Fruit, vegetables and meat, much of it picked and packed by migrant workers through labour hire
What happens here
Labour hire firms have paid workers in cash, under the award, and charged them for crowded housing. Visas can tie workers to one employer.
What we check
Whether it has its farms and their labour hire firms checked independently, and publishes what it finds and what workers were repaid.
Distribution centres, trucks and home delivery
What happens here
Warehouse workers have struck over performance targets they say cause injuries. Delivery is often done by contractors.
What we check
Whether problems found by the Fair Work Ombudsman or the courts have been put right.
Store staff, and cleaners, trolley collectors and security guards
What happens here
Contract cleaners and trolley collectors were badly underpaid in the 2010s. In 2025 a court found Coles and Woolworths had underpaid salaried managers.
What we check
Whether it employs store cleaners and trolley collectors directly, and has paid back what it owes.
The extra check for Good
Farm and labour hire checks published, and high-risk ingredients (palm oil and tomato paste and canned tomatoes) traced or certified where they're a major part of its range.
Missing it holds a brand at On Track at best, and taking no steps at all means Lacks transparency.
High-risk materials we look for
- Palm oil
- Forced and child labour on some Malaysian and Indonesian plantations.
- Tomato paste and canned tomatoes
- Forced labour in China's tomato industry, whose tomato products are on the US Department of Labor's forced labour list.
Resources on the US Department of Labor's list
The list names resources and the countries where the Department found child labour or forced labour in producing them. It covers whole countries, not companies.
17 resources shown
| Resource | Child labour | Forced labour |
|---|---|---|
| Sugarcane | Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Cambodia, Colombia, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, India, Kenya, Mexico, Myanmar, Paraguay, Philippines, Thailand, Uganda, Vietnam, Zimbabwe | Bolivia, Brazil, Dominican Republic, India, Myanmar, Pakistan |
| Cattle | Bolivia, Brazil, Chad, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Kenya, Lesotho, Mauritania, Mexico, Paraguay, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia | Bolivia, Brazil, Niger, Paraguay, South Sudan |
| Fish | Brazil, Cambodia, Ghana, Indonesia, Kenya, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Uganda, Vietnam, Yemen | China, Ghana, Indonesia, Myanmar, Taiwan, Thailand |
| Rice | Brazil, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Ghana, India, Kenya, Mali, Myanmar, Pakistan, Philippines, Tanzania, Uganda, Vietnam | India, Mali, Myanmar |
| Bananas | Belize, Brazil, Ecuador, Nicaragua, Philippines | Not listed |
| Palm Fruit | Indonesia, Malaysia, Sierra Leone | Indonesia, Malaysia |
| Shrimp | Bangladesh, Cambodia | India, Myanmar, Thailand |
| Tomatoes | Argentina, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Paraguay | Mexico |
| Crude Palm Oil | Indonesia* (made with listed inputs), Malaysia* (made with listed inputs) | Indonesia* (made with listed inputs), Malaysia* (made with listed inputs) |
| Refined Palm Oil | Indonesia* (made with listed inputs), Malaysia* (made with listed inputs) | Indonesia* (made with listed inputs), Malaysia* (made with listed inputs) |
| Grapes | Argentina, Colombia | Not listed |
| Beef | Brazil | Not listed |
| Fish Oil | Not listed | Thailand* (made with listed inputs) |
| Garlic | Argentina | Not listed |
| Strawberries | Argentina | Not listed |
| Sugar Beets | Türkiye | Not listed |
| Tomato Products | Not listed | China |
* Made with inputs listed for child or forced labour, such as cocoa or cotton grown elsewhere.
What earns each grade
Good
0 of 12 brands
- Has the farms and labour hire firms behind its fresh and own-brand food checked independently, and publishes what the checks find and what workers were repaid
- Names its suppliers or has them audited, and shows where its high-risk ingredients come from
- Owes no unpaid wages to its own staff or the contractors in its stores
On Track
0 of 12 brands
- Requires Fair Farms or ethical audits of its Australian suppliers and names its suppliers, but doesn't publish what the checks find
- Has paid back what a court or the Fair Work Ombudsman found it owed
- Shows no checks on the farms and labour hire firms behind its fresh food, which alone means Lacks transparency
- A modern slavery statement with policies but no numbers
For example Harris Farm Markets, Drakes Supermarkets, Foodland (South Australia) · See all 9
- Owes its own staff or contractors' workers unpaid wages that a court, the Fair Work Ombudsman or the company itself has established, and hasn't yet paid in full
- Forced labour found at a supplier of its own-brand goods in the last five years that it hasn't put right
For example ALDI, Woolworths, Coles
Signs of a fair supply chain
- Published numbers of farm audits, problems found and workers repaid
- Store cleaners and trolley collectors employed directly
- Own-brand tomato and palm oil products traced to the farm or mill
Warning signs
- A modern slavery statement with policies but no numbers
- "Product of Italy" tomato paste at a price that seems too low
- Fresh produce from labour hire firms the supermarket doesn't name or check
Try the rules
Pick an example or tick what a company can show, and see the grade the rules would give it.
The grade it would get
Grade: Lacks transparency
This company makes its products in Australia and publishes a modern slavery statement. Until it has the farms and labour hire firms behind its food checked independently and publishes what it finds, it can't show that the people who grow and pack it are paid what they're owed.
Good requirements 2 of 6
- Not met: Pays a living wage, or holds a strong fair-pay certification
- Met: Respects worker rights
- 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: Farm and labour hire checks published
Red flags 2
- Red flag: No evidence it pays a living wage
- Red flag: Sells food from farms and labour hire firms it doesn't check
- Red flag: Fails its category's check on farm and labour hire checks published (means Lacks transparency)
A made-up company, graded by the same rules as every brand on Labour Lens. What Lacks transparency means
The full rules are on the Grading page, with the finer points on Resources.
The brands we've graded
Where they make things
11 of the 12 brands say where they make their products. The countries they name most:
| Country | Brands | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | 11 | Strong protections | About a living wage | Low |
| India | 3 | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | High |
| Indonesia | 3 | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| Malaysia | 3 | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| Thailand | 3 | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| United States | 3 | Systematic violations | Below a living wage | Low |
| Vietnam | 3 | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| China | 2 | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
Labels they hold
None of these brands holds a labour accreditation yet.
Browse by type
No supermarkets & grocers brand is Good yet
The brands list shows the best available in each type.
Questions and answers
7 questions
Why is a supermarket graded on its own staff when Labour Lens is about who makes the products?
A supermarket's own-brand range is made for it, and much of the work behind it, from picking to packing and cleaning the store, is done for it in Australia. Wage theft by the company or its contractors is harm to people working for the brand.
Once the money owed is paid in full, it stops counting against the grade. It stays listed on the brand page.
Isn't Australian work safe because of our labour laws?
The laws are strong, and since January 2025 deliberate underpayment can be a crime. But the problems are in enforcement, especially through labour hire on farms.
So on Labour Lens, Australian-grown food counts towards a good grade only when the supermarket has its suppliers checked or names them.
What is Fair Farms?
An industry certification for Australian growers that checks pay, conditions and accommodation against Australian law. Coles, Woolworths and ALDI accept it.
There's no public list of certified farms, so requiring it counts as working towards the farm check on Labour Lens, not passing it.
Coles and Woolworths top KnowTheChain's ranking. Why aren't they graded Good?
KnowTheChain scores policies and disclosure, and the average in 2026 was only 15 out of 100. Both companies were found by the Federal Court in 2025 to have underpaid salaried store managers, and haven't yet finished paying it back.
Where are Kmart, Target, Big W, Myer and Bunnings?
Are a supermarket's own-brand coffee, tea, chocolate and seafood graded here?
No. Those ranges have their own records in the coffee, tea, chocolate and seafood categories, where the crop and catch checks apply. The supermarket's own grade covers its fresh food, the rest of its own-brand groceries and its own workforce.
How are supermarkets graded on Labour Lens?
A supermarket is recorded where its own-brand and fresh food is grown or made, mostly in Australia, and graded on those places like any other company. On top of that, Good needs the farms, meatworks and labour hire firms behind its food checked independently, with the results published.
Requiring Fair Farms or ethical audits without publishing the results is working towards it, so On Track at best. Taking no steps means Lacks transparency.
Sources
- Final supermarket report reveals world-leading profits, shrinkflation, no breakup (opens in a new tab) SBS News, 2025
- Workers on Melbourne farm supplying Woolworths, Coles chase unpaid wages worth $260,000 (opens in a new tab) ABC News, 2026
- Woolworths and Coles failed record-keeping obligations on overtime, court finds (opens in a new tab) SBS News, 2025
- Modern slavery risks faced by temporary migrant workers in rural and regional NSW: transcript, 2 June 2025 (opens in a new tab) Parliament of New South Wales, 2025
- Agri-food companies' business practices exacerbate vulnerability of millions of workers (KnowTheChain 2026) (opens in a new tab) Business & Human Rights Resource Centre, 2026
- Woolworths and Coles say underpayment court decision could cost them $1 billion (opens in a new tab) SBS News, 2025
- New criminal underpayment laws have started (opens in a new tab) Fair Work Ombudsman, 2025
- ACCC probes Aldi, Coles after Four Corners tomato-sourcing claims (opens in a new tab) Inside Retail, 2026
- List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor (opens in a new tab) US Department of Labor, 2024
- Mandatory Food and Grocery Code of Conduct comes into effect today (opens in a new tab) Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, 2025
Figures are as each source published them. The grades and brand counts are Labour Lens's own, from the brands we've researched.
Know a own-brand and fresh food brand we haven't graded?
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