All but one major Canadian food retailer is failing to transparently report risks that the seafood they sell could be connected to environmental and human rights abuses.
That’s according to the latest seafood progress report published this month by the watchdog group SeaChoice. The organization said it took an in-depth look at the scope and application of retailer sustainability and human rights policies through 23 performance indicators.
Loblaw Companies Ltd., Sobeys Inc., Costco, Walmart Canada and B.C.-based Pattison Food Group — whose stores include Save-On-Foods, Nestors Market, Choices Market and Buy-Low Foods — all received ‘F’ grades.
Metro was the only grocer to pass SeaChoice’s scoring system. It was given a “C” score, with its Fisheries and Aquaculture Policy found to cover most direct products across all its retailers. It was the only retailer to report seafood sales data, the report said.
The worst performer was found to be Pattison Food Group, a company cited for its decentralized operations, narrow seafood sourcing policy scope and lack of a traceability policy.
The West Coast company was found to be the only retailer not to have a public human rights policy and not publish its Supplier Code of Conduct. Further, its sustainable seafood policy only appears to apply to Save-On-Foods and excludes the other 12 chains under its ownership, the report said.
Since 2018, SeaChoice said the Pattison Food Group has reported that it has been “working on” achieving full chain traceability. But so far, “no tangible process has been reported,” noted the watchdog group.
A spokesperson for Pattison Food Group said in a statement that the way the scores were categorized this year “does not accurately reflect our business practices, standards and commitments.
“We are surprised and disheartened by SeaChoice's assessment and are particularly disappointed that this year’s methodology introduced requirements—such as detailed sales and volume data—that we, as a private company, are simply not in a position to disclose,” the statement read.
“We remain dedicated to offering our customers the sustainable choices they expect from us. However, we will not be able to provide proprietary sales and volume data to improve our SeaChoice rating, despite our continued efforts in responsible sourcing.”
The company said it has partnered with Ocean Wise for the last eight years and invested “significant effort” into expanding the volume and variety of sustainable seafood in its stores.
“In 2024, 74% of the unbranded and private label fresh and frozen seafood sold at Save-On-Foods was Ocean Wise recommended—a milestone we are proud of and one that reflects our ongoing commitment to sustainability,” the company said.
SeaChoice found what it described as a “troubling” trend: “retailers appear to be consciously avoiding responsible sourcing for significant portions of the seafood they sell.”
Supply chain policies not applied evenly
Even the grocery chains with the most robust policies were found to apply them to about half the seafood in their stores. Some policies were only applied at certain stores in a chain.
Loblaw’s seafood policies were found to apply to Real Canadian Superstore but not T&T Supermarket — Canada’s largest Asian supermarket chain and a major seafood seller.
“Notably, no retailer was found to verify whether third-party brands actually adhere to the retailers’ stated policies,” the report notes.
Some of the most common shortcomings were found on grocers’ human rights policies. Costco and Walmart did not respond to questions over who is held responsible and accountable to ensure their respective human rights policies are met.
“None of the retailers reported plans to integrate worker perspectives into their verification practices, and two retailers (Pattison Food Group and Sobeys) don’t verify supplier compliance against their human rights policies at all,” the report says.
Another gap in oversight identified in the report was surrounding third-party brands — whereas private label brands like Kirkland Signature and Western Family fall under the retailers’ sustainability and human rights policies, others like Aqua Star and Clover Leak do not.
Latest report expands tracking to indirect products following global investigations
The watchdog report cited a sprawling 2023 investigation published around the world as The Outlaw Ocean Project.
A supply chain database built for the project shows dozens of Canadian retailers purchasing seafood from sources linked to environmental and human rights violations, including forced labour from North Korea and the Uyghur minority in China. Sobeys, Metro, Walmart Canada and several Pattison Food Group retailers are listed.
The latest SeaChoice report also provided scores for how the policies were applied to products indirectly containing seafood, like pet food, fish oil, prepared meals and garden fertilizer.
Costco and Loblaw were the only two retailers to have indirect products (Kirkland Signature pet food and health products, in Costco’s case; health, beauty and pet food in Loblaws case) as part of their sustainable seafood policies.
“In fact, Loblaw received the highest score across all retailers on this indicator,” the report noted. “However, its policy excludes T&T Supermarkets which is the largest Asian supermarket chain in Canada that sells significant amounts of seafood products.”
A spokesperson for Metro acknowledged the expanded scope of the 2025 SeaChoice report to include products like supplements, animal feed and fertilizers.
“While these are important, they are highly processed and outside our direct supply chain, limiting our influence,” wrote Metro’s Stephanie Bonk. “Our focus remains on products sourced through direct suppliers and represent most of our procurement—an aspect not fully reflected in the evaluation.”
The spokesperson added that Metro is committed to responsible sourcing and the implementation of its Sustainable Fisheries and Aquaculture Policy.
BIV reached out to Loblaw, Sobeys, Costco and Walmart but had not received a response by the time of publication.
SeaChoice recommended all the Canadian grocers improve their due diligence policies and adopt proactive measures to identify and mitigate risks when buying seafood.
SeaChoice supply chain analyst Dana Cleaveley said: “The rampant abuse behind seafood puts retailers at risk of legal action, reputational damage and supply chain interference.”
“A due diligence approach to sourcing seafood is the only way forward for retailers,” Cleaveley added.
“With the U.S. tariffs incentivizing Canadians to buy Canadian, this also presents an opportunity for retailers to source locally to help mitigate the risks outlined in the report.”
