WALKER, Mich. (WOWO). A complaint filed with the U.S. International Trade Commission alleges shrimp produced by Indian seafood company Nekkanti Sea Foods was made using forced labor, giving the company an unfair price advantage over American shrimp producers. The complaint was filed by two U.S. comm ercial shrimping companies, Versaggi Shrimp Corporation and WW Dock, with support from the human rights organization Corporate Accountability Lab. It names Nekkanti and New Jersey-based seafood importer Eastern Fish Company, which imports Nekkanti products and supplies several major American retailers, including Meijer, Aldi and Ahold Delhaize USA. Ahold Delhaize is the parent company of Food Lion, Hannaford, Giant and other grocery chains. The 62-page complaint asks the trade commission to investigate the companies, block products made by Nekkanti and its subsidiaries from entering the United States, and order Meijer, Aldi and Ahold Delhaize USA to permanently stop importing the company’s shrimp. The filing argues that forced labor and artificially suppressed wages allow Indian shrimp producers to sell their products at prices domestic businesses cannot match. According to the complaint, wholesale Asian shrimp sold between 2021 and 2025 was priced 12% to 54% below comparable American products. The allegations include dangerous working conditions, wages below the regional living standard, debt bondage and restrictions on workers’ freedom of movement. Freelance labor journalist Rejimon Kuttappan interviewed 50 current and former employees and submitted a declaration describing conditions at Nekkanti facilities. Workers told him they earned an average of about 95 to 126 dollars a month. Some said the company withheld part of their pay to cover debts. Employees also described abuse by supervisors and security guards who monitored company-owned housing. Several workers said their movements were restricted, with some women allowed to leave company housing only once a month on payday. Workers also reported physical problems from processing frozen shrimp, including frostbite on their hands. Others described fainting after standing for hours while peeling and cutting shrimp. One employee estimated that two or three women fainted during each shift. The complaint also says workers who became ill or collapsed were sometimes given no more than 10 minutes to rest before supervisors expected them to return to work. The filing argues that American shrimp producers account for less than 10% of the shrimp consumed in the United States because they cannot compete with imports produced under what it describes as unfair labor conditions. India was the largest source of shrimp imported into the United States in 2023, accounting for nearly 40% of imports, according to the complaint. The U.S. Department of Labor added shrimp from India to its list of goods produced with child labor or forced labor in 2024. Records submitted with the complaint show at least 52 sales of Nekkanti shrimp to Meijer between January 2022 and September 2026. The most recent listed transaction was in August 2026, involving 35,000 pounds of frozen, peeled and deveined shrimp. Meijer said it is committed to responsible sourcing and does not tolerate forced labor in its supply chain. The company said it expects suppliers to follow applicable laws and its standards for ethical conduct, and that it takes appropriate action when those standards are not met. It remains unclear whether Meijer has taken any action involving Nekkanti or its shrimp products in response to the allegations. The allegations in the complaint have not been established as findings by the International Trade Commission. The post Complaint Accuses Meijer of Selling Shrimp Produced Under Abusive Labor Conditions appeared first on WOWO News/Talk 92.3 FM and 1190 AM. ...read more read less