Tell Nestlé to Help Stop Slave Labor Used to Make Pet Food!

We, the undersigned, are concerned with the abuse of slaves used to catch fish meal that may be used in some of your pet food products.

As you may know, sea slaves are working off Thailand's shores to catch fish used in cheap pet food brands sold in the United States. Survivor interviews recount horrific tales that go beyond the already unacceptable reality of unpaid hard labor. Sick slaves are reportedly thrown overboard, and insubordinates beheaded or sealed for days in fishing holds beneath the deck. Slaves are reportedly beaten for small mistakes they make in their unpaid work. In a United Nations survey of 50 Cambodian slave laborers, 29 said they witnessed a captain or other ship officer kill a worker.

This abuse lies beneath the radar because most workers are undocumented immigrants lured from Cambodia and Myanmar, and maritime labor laws are lax. With the rising demand for cheap fish, these practices are expected to increase if nothing is done to stop it.

Fish meal caught through this industry is used in top pet food brands such as Iams, Meow Mix and Fancy Feast. Sadly, the United States is the top supporter of Thai fish. Nestlé owns Fancy Feast and Purina, and is working to phase out the possibility of using slave-caught fish. But other companies, like Mars, Inc., have made a stronger effort, replacing fish meal in some of their pet food and planning to use only non-threatened, legally caught fish or fish raised on farms by 2020.

We respectfully urge you to follow in Mars, Inc.’s efforts and to make a serious effort to end all possibility of supporting Thai slave labor. Thank you for taking the time to read and consider our petition.