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Issue link: https://seafoodbusiness.epubxp.com/i/139359
Top Story Photos courtesy of The Environmental Justice Foundation A laborer displays battered hands from hauling fshing nets on a Thai vessel. Work in progress Workers' rights join environmental sustainability on the supply-chain checklist BY MELISSA WOOD T wo conficting stories are being told about Thailand's Narong Seafood. The frst is illustrated by a photo on the company's website showing four smiling executives giving the thumbs-up to a man in the middle holding an award. Under the headline "Narong Seafood against any form of child labour, forced labour and human traffcking," the caption explains that the economic-crimes division of the Thailand police had given the company a good corporate citizen award "for strong leadership and fair trade practices." Tat story reaches outside Tailand: Narong is a Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP)-certifed facility. It's the blessing that allows its frozen shrimp to be placed on shelves of retailers and served by foodservice operators in the United States, 18 SeaFood Business July 2013 Canada and Europe. Te fip side to this story was the June 7 report, "Te Walmart Efect: Child and Worker Rights Violations at Narong Seafood, Tailand's Model Shrimp Processing Factory." It contains the fndings of researchers work- ing with the International Labor Rights Forum and Warehouse Workers Union who interviewed plant workers at Narong's main plant in Samut Sakhon. Te workers told stories of underage workers, falsifed documents, excessive fees and wage violations. Tey explained how these alleged abuses slipped the notice of auditors. Tey claim managers knew about audits ahead of time; managers would tell underage workers to stay home during audit days. And audits didn't occur during night shifts, when most underage workers, as well as undocumented migrants, were employed. Managers selected which workers the auditors would interview and told them how to answer questions. Managers told everyone else to "wear [their] uniforms neatly" and "work more slowly and systematically than on other days," according to the report. Te paper points the fnger at Walmart, which has sold 4.6 million pounds of Narong-supplied shrimp since 2007, according to U.S. Customs data. It blames the "Walmart efect" of promised "everyday low prices," creating a supply chain that demands cheap labor. As the largest U.S. food retailer controlling 25 percent of the food market, and as the largest U.S. buyer of imported farmed shrimp, Walmart could wield its signifcant market power to curb abuses: "Walmart is not the only buyer of Tai shrimp, however, due to its size has a large impact on all aspects of the industry," the report states. Walmart is routinely criticized for having a negative efect on the global supply chain, but the company's efforts toward seafood sustainability have been genuine. Since June 2012 Walmart has only carried seafood certifed sustainable using Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) standards, BAP and their equivalents that address environmental sustainability, animal rights and social responsibility. If one of the most powerful seafood buyers in the world pledges a commitment to social responsibility and can't ensure its seafood supply chain is free of human rights violations, can anyone? It should be easy. Te issue Visit us online at www.seafoodbusiness.com