Indian shrimp placed on US list of goods suspected of being produced using forced labor

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has added shrimp produced in India to the “List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor” for 2024.

The DOL publishes the list every two years and the Bureau of International Labor Affairs (ILAB) maintains the list to raise public awareness of child labor and forced labor worldwide. According to ILAB, the list is not intended as a punishment, but as a means to address the issue and potentially encourage cooperation and engagement with foreign governments to curb the problem of forced and child labor.

The Indian shrimp industry was added to the list after separate reports by the Corporate Accountability Lab, the Associated Press and the Outlaw Ocean Project revealed problems with shrimp production throughout the supply chain. These reports are cited in the ILAB's working report as the main evidence for India's inclusion on the list.

The addition also came after the Southern Shrimp Alliance, citing the same reports, urged the DOL to include shrimp produced in India on the list.

“For the purposes of the next scheduled update of the List of Commodities Produced by Child or Forced Labor in 2024, the Southern Shrimp Alliance requests the ILAB to determine that there is sufficient evidence to include shrimp produced in India in the 2024 Commodity List Report as commodities produced by child and forced labor and, in addition, to promptly add shrimp from India to the ILAB List of products produced by forced or contract child labor,” the SSA said.

ILAB has done just that, and its report highlights the poor conditions in peeling halls and processing plants in Andhra Pradesh, which have been mentioned in reports by AP, Outlaw Ocean and Corporate Accountability Lab. Several reports described the poor working conditions and pointed to exorbitant recruitment fees for workers, forcing them into debt bondage.

“Workers often live on or near the work site in employer-provided accommodation – usually in a remote location – and strict safety measures such as confinement and surveillance prevent workers from leaving the premises freely,” the ILAB report said. “Shrimp processing work involves exposure to chemicals, exposure to extreme cold, standing for long hours and high risk of injury, sometimes without adequate personal protective equipment. Verbal and physical abuse, including sexual harassment and abuse, is reportedly widespread. Accommodation is often reported to be overcrowded, dirty and poorly maintained.”

Josh Farinella, the former CEO of Kerala, India-based shrimp processor and exporter Choice Canning, was named as a whistleblower in the Outlaw Ocean Project report and said in an interview with SeafoodSource that his “eyes were opened” to the conditions when he moved to India to manage one of the company’s facilities.

Farinella told SeafoodSource that he was ordered to ship shrimp contaminated with antibiotics to the U.S. He said he witnessed employees being forced to stay at the plant against their will and saw inadequate facilities for workers.

Choice Canning denied the allegations and said the company was one of the few shrimp processors to receive an “A” grade in the Business Social Compliance Initiative's social audit. Jacob Jose, vice president of sales and procurement at Choice Canning, told SeafoodSource that there is no forced labor in its factories or with third-party contractors.

“There is no forced labour in India. They are twisting the terms to use the term forced labour. There is no forced labour in Indian industry. It does not exist,” he said.

Despite the company's denial, Indian shrimp is now on the ILAB list, which the SSA says will officially require all U.S. buyers of Indian shrimp to exercise additional due diligence. The SSA also calls for…