Halifax/Kjipuktuk AND Vancouver/traditional unceded territories of the xwməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-waututh) First Nations – SeaChoice’s new “Seafood Progress” report shows all but one major retailer failing to address risk in their seafood supply chains amid damning evidence of human rights abuses.

Human rights and environmental due diligence involves companies assessing, managing and mitigating risks to people and the planet from boat or sea farm to plate. All retailers — apart from METRO, which got a C — received failing grades for their lack of due diligence (especially on human rights) and avoidance of responsibility for much of their seafood. Additionally, retailers remain silent in the wake of major investigations by the Outlaw Ocean Project, which released season two of its podcast series today, June 4^th, covering egregious human rights and environmental crimes in global seafood supply chains.

“The investigations on seafood supply chains are piling up. Retailers simply can’t afford to consciously avoid taking responsibility for seafood products tainted by human rights and environmental crimes anymore,” SeaChoice supply chain analyst Dana Cleaveley said. “Our report found that none of the retailers are incorporating worker perspectives into their sourcing decisions, which is critical to effective due diligence. With due diligence legislation gaining momentum, and voluntary certifications and social audits failing to detect abuse, it’s time for retailers to proactively implement a due diligence approach to sourcing all their seafood.”

The report also found half of the retailers still fail to trace critical information on all their seafood products back to the source. Pattison Food Group — which consequently received the lowest score across all retailers at 14 per cent — has reported to SeaChoice annually since 2018 that it is “working on” achieving full chain traceability, but no tangible progress has been reported. Pattison Food Group owns 13 major store chains, Including Save-On-Foods and Buy-Low Foods.

“It’s too late for empty promises and no real action when it comes to traceability. Retailers must demonstrate traceability in their own operations, as well as demanding the same from their suppliers to put them in a position to identify risks and investigate issues,” SeaChoice’s Christina Callegari said. “With the recent trade tariffs increasing demand for local products that are for the most part easier to trace than imported seafood, retailers are in a position to focus their sourcing efforts closer to home.”

The report also found retailers exclude nearly half the seafood they sell from their sustainability policies and are not investigating the supply chains of their third-party seafood brands for human rights abuses. While private label brands (e.g., Kirkland Signature, Western Family) fall under retailers’ sustainability and human rights policies, third-party brands (e.g., Aqua Star, Clover Leaf) on the same shelves often don’t — even though the retailers continue to profit from these products. This is a trend across all retailers and leaves a major responsibility gap in oversight. Additionally, many major stores are excluded from parent company policies. For example, while Loblaw’s seafood commitments apply to Superstore, they do not apply to major seafood seller T&T Supermarket. Retailers also aren’t applying their ethical sourcing commitments to the seafood ingredients in products like pet food and fish oil.

“Voluntary efforts from retailers are far from enough, and regulations in North America remain largely inadequate to address the issues of illegal product and forced labour,” Callegari said. “Major retailers need to use their position to advocate for better data capture and traceability, as well as to improve enforcement to deter illegal practices and trade.”

“The rampant abuse behind seafood puts retailers at risk of legal action, reputational damage and supply chain interference,” Cleaveley said. “A due diligence approach to sourcing seafood is the only way forward for retailers.”

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For more information or media interviews, please contact:

Dana Cleaveley: marketanalyst@seachoice.org, 604-506-1250

About:

SeaChoice is a science-based, solutions-focused influencer, advocate and watchdog leading the next evolution of responsibly sourced seafood in Canada. SeaChoice is a collaboration of three internationally recognized organizations: the David Suzuki Foundation, Ecology Action Centre and Living Oceans Society.

Seafood Progress is a platform that SeaChoice has used to report on major Canadian retailers’ performance against their sustainable and socially responsible seafood policies since 2018. This 2025 report is the first of its kind to review what measures Canadian retailers are taking to keep products tied to human rights abuses off store shelves, as well as which stores, products and brand types their seafood policies actually apply to.

Key findings:

• All retailers — apart from Metro, which got a C — received failing grades for their lack of due diligence on seafood (especially when it comes to human rights).
• Retailers avoid accountability by excluding nearly half the seafood they sell (largely third-party brands and indirect products like pet food and health products that contain seafood) from their sustainability policies, and by not investigating the supply chains of the third-party seafood brands they sell.
• In the wake of mounting investigations including the Outlaw Ocean Project’s China series where egregious human rights violations were found, retailers still haven’t reported plans to remediate based on the findings, or to implement a human rights due diligence approach to sourcing where worker perspectives are incorporated.
• The voluntary eco-certifications and social audit schemes that retailers rely on are failing, and regulations in North America remain largely inadequate to address the issues of illegal product and forced labour.
• Half the retailers still don’t trace critical information on all their seafood products back to the source.

Backgrounders:  

• Conscious Avoidance: Summary Report
• Conscious Avoidance: Technical Report
• Scoring Methodology
• Seafood Progress
• Loblaw excludes major seafood seller from sustainable seafood policy
• Pattison Food Group receives an F on ethically sourced seafood
• Report finds retailers remain silent in the wake of major seafood investigations
• Seafood ingredients in beauty, health and pet food products
• The Outlaw Ocean season two Podcast Series

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