US grocer Hy-Vee announced on Friday the publication of their Retail Brand (private label) tuna supplier vessel documentation report. The report follows Greenpeace USA’s request for major US grocery retailers to share more information about their seafood supply chain. In 2021, the inaugural Greenpeace report “The High Cost of Cheap Tuna: US Supermarkets, Sustainability, and Human Rights at Sea” found all 16 retailers surveyed to be failing in ensuring their tuna supply chains are free of both environmental harm and exploitative labor practices such as debt bondage and physical abuse. Hy-Vee, which earned fifth place on the list, was the only retailer that committed to publicly sharing a list of its tuna supplier vessels.

In response to the Hy-vee report, Greenpeace USA Senior Oceans Campaigner Mallika Talwar said:

“This is a good first step from Hy-Vee towards transparency and traceability in the seafood retail sector. They are clearly demonstrating that it is possible to reach higher levels of transparency in this supply chain and we hope they keep building on this initial effort.

“However, it is unfortunate that Hy-Vee could only get supplier information on its store brand, rather than the national brands it buys from, such as Starkist and Chicken of the Sea. The challenges Hy-Vee experienced in sourcing this information are symptomatic of the wider problem in the seafood industry. Inaction and secrecy by retailers and national brands leave large loopholes for the exploitation of vulnerable migrant workers, the perpetuation of environmentally damaging practices, and the occurrence of illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing.

“Corporations that profit from tuna sales have a responsibility to ensure that their policies do not worsen these impacts down their supply chain. We urge more retailers and national brands to follow Hy-Vee’s lead and share information that will help bring transparency to notoriously opaque global seafood supply chains and build trust with consumers that their seafood is free of problematic environmental and human rights abuses.”