AP report on slave-peeled shrimp spurs calls for boycott

[webfact]

AP report on slave-peeled shrimp spurs calls for boycott
By MARTHA MENDOZA

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. officials and human rights activists called on Americans to stop buying fish and shrimp tied to supply chains in Thailand, where The Associated Press has found slaves are forced to work in the seafood industry.

"All of us may find ourselves eating a slave made product without knowing it, but once we know it, we all have a moral obligation, I believe, to make a personal decision to boycott it," said New Jersey Republican Congressman Chris Smith, a member of the House Foreign Relations Committee.

Said Mark Lagon, president of the group Freedom House: "This isn't a matter of low pay or crummy working conditions. This isn't a matter of saving lots of money to choose the product that is made by cutting corners. This is the flagrant abuse of fellow human beings ... Americans won't stand for that."

The AP reported Monday that it found enslaved workers who were forced to peel shrimp in Thailand for up to 16 hours a day for little or no pay, and many were locked inside for months or even years on end. Journalists followed trucks from an abusive factory to major Thai distributors. U.S. customs records show the shrimp made its way into the supply chains of major U.S. food stores and retailers such as Wal-Mart, Kroger, Dollar General and Petco, along with restaurants such as Olive Garden.

It also entered the supply chains of some of America's best-known seafood brands and pet foods, including Chicken of the Sea and Fancy Feast, which are sold in grocery stores from Safeway and Schnucks to Piggly Wiggly and Albertsons. AP reporters went to supermarkets in all 50 states and found shrimp products from supply chains tainted with forced labor.

Responding to the AP reports, Red Lobster, Whole Foods and others said they've been assured by their supplier, Thai Union, that their particular shrimp were not processed by children and slaves, despite the AP's findings.

Thai Union, meanwhile, admitted it hadn't known the source of all its shrimp, and sent a note outlining corrective measures to U.S. businesses. "We were concerned that, despite regular audits, it is difficult to guarantee that all external pre-processors were adhering to our code of conduct," Thai Union CEO Thiraphong Chansiri said in a statement.

The company promised to exclusively use in-house labor starting Jan. 1.

Earlier this year, after AP reported on a slave island in Indonesia where fishermen were caged when on shore, Greenpeace called for a boycott of Thai Union and its Chicken of the Sea brand in the U.S. On Monday, Greenpeace campaign director John Hocevar said Thai Union isn't doing enough.

"The company does just enough to weather the PR storm while continuing to profit off the backs of the migrant workers forced to work throughout its supply chains," he said.

Most U.S. customers said they're sticking with their Thai distributors, and Gavin Gibbons, a spokesman for National Fisheries Institute, which represents about 75 percent of the U.S. seafood industry, said boycotting Thailand is not the answer.

"If you don't buy seafood from there you're not in the conversation anymore about labor, you don't have the ability to fix it. You don't have an ability to push for change. You don't have an ability to say, these are my policies and if you don't abide by these policies and if you don't let third party auditors in then you're going to lose access to this market," he said.

Buddy Galetti, president of Southwind Foods, a smaller importer in Los Angeles, disagreed.

"I guarantee you that if Wal-Mart and Kroger and Red Lobster stopped buying from Thailand until this got fixed, I think pretty soon Thailand would have no choice but to really deal with it," he said, adding he rarely buys Thai goods. "The large corporations are the ones who act like the pope as far as sustainability and human rights, but then they go out and buy from the main culprits."

AP's findings surprised some consumers. "I've bought bags of shrimp before at the market but never really looked at the label. I guess I should start looking, huh?" said Chris York, of Kensington, New Hampshire, a self-described seafood lover.

That was the advice of the U.S. State Department's new anti-trafficking ambassador Susan Coppedge. She said consumers should inform themselves, and can check the government-backed website slaveryfootprint.org and Labor Department publications before they spend "to make sure they're not made with forced slave labor."


-- (c) Associated Press 2015-12-15

[4evermaat]

Most U.S. customers said they're sticking with their Thai distributors, and Gavin Gibbons, a spokesman for National Fisheries Institute, which represents about 75 percent of the U.S. seafood industry, said boycotting Thailand is not the answer.

When caught, the concept of saving face is not exclusive to Thailand.

AP's findings surprised some consumers. "I've bought bags of shrimp before at the market but never really looked at the label. I guess I should start looking, huh?" said Chris York, of Kensington, New Hampshire, a self-described seafood lover.

You really think those golden arches et. al. can sell you a breaded, "real" [non-GMO, non farm raised with dye added, etc] fish sandwich for $1 without cutting any corners?

None are as blind as those who will not see.

Edited December 15, 2015 by 4evermaat

[onetime]

Despite the racist and moronic statement above, there is a small value in remaining at the table to have a say in the negotiations, up to a point. After a reasonable amount of time and back wages are paid to the people who have been hurt, when firm rules are put in place and adhered to, then the relationship can continue.

Personally, in my house, Thai products are almost all boycotted.

[Credo]

Part of the problem is that any company that wishes to use fair labor standards will be undercut and eventually forced out of business, leaving those that engage in the use of human slaves at a distinct advantage.

[Squeegee]

Gavin Gibbons, a spokesman for National Fisheries Institute, which represents about 75 percent of the U.S. seafood industry, said boycotting Thailand is not the answer.

"If you don't buy seafood from there you're not in the conversation anymore about labor, you don't have the ability to fix it. You don't have an ability to push for change. You don't have an ability to say, these are my policies and if you don't abide by these policies and if you don't let third party auditors in then you're going to lose access to this market," he said.

So his logic goes like this: if we boycott them we lose our ability to threaten to boycott. Better the Thais can go on with their field day of excuses with this gibbon and his corporations similarly talking and not acting. People like him are a big part of the problem of inequality around the world.

Anyway, hopefully this story is just the beginning.

[onetime]

Gavin Gibbons, a spokesman for National Fisheries Institute, which represents about 75 percent of the U.S. seafood industry, said boycotting Thailand is not the answer.

"If you don't buy seafood from there you're not in the conversation anymore about labor, you don't have the ability to fix it. You don't have an ability to push for change. You don't have an ability to say, these are my policies and if you don't abide by these policies and if you don't let third party auditors in then you're going to lose access to this market," he said.

So his logic goes like this: if we boycott them we lose our ability to threaten to boycott. Better the Thais can go on with their field day of excuses with this gibbon and his corporations similarly talking and not acting. People like him are a big part of the problem of inequality around the world.

Anyway, hopefully this story is just the beginning.

It is not quite the beginning. Research some articles in the NYT.

I've edited this to avoid any computer crimes act laws.

Edited December 15, 2015 by onetime

[Skywalker69]

Despite the racist and moronic statement above, there is a small value in remaining at the table to have a say in the negotiations, up to a point. After a reasonable amount of time and back wages are paid to the people who have been hurt, when firm rules are put in place and adhered to, then the relationship can continue.

Personally, in my house, Thai products are almost all boycotted.

I guess you must live outside Thailand.

[ChrisY1]

Finding alternative markets for importing fish products that would face international companies, would, IMO, make a boycot of these products much more costly for them.....hence the reason that US customers have stated they are sticking with their Thai suppliers.

A direction to ban these imports would have to come from the government.......

Edited December 15, 2015 by ChrisY1

[craigt3365]

Most U.S. customers said they're sticking with their Thai distributors, and Gavin Gibbons, a spokesman for National Fisheries Institute, which represents about 75 percent of the U.S. seafood industry, said boycotting Thailand is not the answer.

When caught, the concept of saving face is not exclusive to Thailand.

AP's findings surprised some consumers. "I've bought bags of shrimp before at the market but never really looked at the label. I guess I should start looking, huh?" said Chris York, of Kensington, New Hampshire, a self-described seafood lover.

You really think those golden arches et. al. can sell you a breaded, "real" [non-GMO, non farm raised with dye added, etc] fish sandwich for $1 without cutting any corners?

None are as blind as those who will not see.

How many times do you actually look at labels of the food you buy? And then, do research to figure out how it was made/produced? Plus, news like this doesn't typically hit the headlines in the US. If it does, it's fleeting.

As for the golden arches, do they even have labels regarding source? LOL

[Usernames]

The other shoe is about to drop. First, the FAA downgrade. And food products ban right around the corner. The cost of doing business with China is about to be felt in full.

[jalansanitwong]

Washington is very quick to make decisions about dropping bombs on the Middle east or starting wars elsewhere.

Ask them to make a decision banning seafood from a country that abuses and enslaves vulnerable people and they immediately go into their shell.

Too hard right ! Easier just to ask the American people not to buy Thai products.

The worlds a sick joke.

[craigt3365]

Washington is very quick to make decisions about dropping bombs on the Middle east or starting wars elsewhere.

Ask them to make a decision banning seafood from a country that abuses and enslaves vulnerable people and they immediately go into their shell.

Too hard right ! Easier just to ask the American people not to buy Thai products.

The worlds a sick joke.

I've never seen the US make a quick decision to go to war. They are definitely involved in way too many, but it's not an easy process, nor is it quick. Due to the laws of the US.

It's also hard to make a decision on this. There is some evidence, but again, due to laws, it would take a long time. Not an easy process.

[onetime]

I don't like the US and the war policy either, so I don't give them any significant amounts of money.

This isn't an argument about war and the US, it's about slave labor in Thailand. No amount of spin is going to put the genie back into the bottle.

Look up the slave labor article in the NYT written by a guy named Ian, then come back and reiterate your positions again so we all can laugh at you.

[oneday]

Red Lobster, Whole Foods and others said they've been assured by their supplier, Thai Union, that their particular shrimp were not processed by children and slaves, despite the AP's findings.

Now these upstanding businesses can go back to business as usual since they have done their due diligence. They asked the people accused of doing these illegal activities if it was true and believed 100% what they told them. What a total joke.

[Srikcir]

In the West people don't always wait for government action with regards to foreign policy. In a democratic society the public can empower themselves to publicize, protect and boycott US companies that can affect revenues.

Red Lobster, Olive Garden, Kroger, Dollar General and Whole Foods have been found to sell shrimp from slave laborers including children provided by a Thai company according to a report by Natasha Norman

on December 14, 2015. The US companies are publicly-held and very reliant on reputation for revenues. They will not wait for US or Thai government action to change or remediate their suppliers. There may be a cost but not as much as revenue loss.

[FangFerang]

"The company does just enough to weather the PR storm while continuing to profit off the backs of the migrant workers forced to work throughout its supply chains," he said.

Thainess, with a neat American twist.

"Most U.S. customers said they're sticking with their Thai distributors, and Gavin Gibbons, a spokesman for National Fisheries Institute, which represents about 75 percent of the U.S. seafood industry, said boycotting Thailand is not the answer."

Bull feathers!! There has been NO survey of US customers, just a vocal Oh Crap from the industry he represents. And he is talking out of his rear end altogether.

Polls show the public is pissed off, and rightfully so. I'm not touching this stuff anymore, and utter shame on the government for arresting and fining the two slaves who spoke (you have not lost face -- you have no face left at all.)

Where oh where is DJJAmie when we need him most?

[Squeegee]

Where oh where is DJJAmie when we need him most?

Changing his username.

But seriously, he still posts occasionally, these days without most of his erstwhile propaganda. The last few posts I've seen were along the lines of "Even I think that's a bad idea..."

And fair enough to him for that.