The Aldi Seafood Scandal That Left Us Quite Unsettled

Food scandals are never something you want to hear about, especially when they involve a grocery store chain. The seafood scandal that rocked Aldi happened nearly a decade ago, leaving shoppers and seafood lovers alike reeling and feeling quite unsettled from the news. In 2017, the public learned via the Associated Press that certain China-imported seafood items sold in a number of United States grocery stores had passed through the hands of North Korean laborers working abroad in factories. 

Per AP, these workers were part of a group of North Korean citizens sent to China by their government to earn wages that were then funneled back to North Korea, thus supporting the country's regime and its nuclear program. This type of activity involved the North Korean government controlling workers' behavior, limiting their freedom, and taking a significant portion of their wages. The U.S. government views this activity as a form of slavery and forced labor, and contributing to it violated U.S. laws.

The Chinese factories suspected of these practices were known to process salmon, squid, and cod that were then sold and distributed throughout the United States at retailers like Aldi, as well as other retail chains like Walmart. While seafood processing factories in China may continue to allow this practice several years later in 2025, the AP investigation has prompted the U.S. to enact regulations and red flags to identify these companies, many of whom U.S. buyers have severed ties with.

Thankfully, Aldi's seafood scandal had nothing to do with unsafe food. When products are recalled for safety reasons, like a nationwide recall of canned tuna potentially contaminated with Clostridium botulinum, the bacteria known to cause botulism, consumers have a valid reason to be concerned. A scandal based on human rights violations, however, causes a whole different reason for concern, and reminds us of the critical importance of knowing where our food comes from. Aldi may or may not be your top market choice, and if it isn't, it's probably due to one of several factors that have nothing to do with the seafood scandal of 2017. Limited variety and rushed checkout lanes are more likely to be the culprits these days.

Luckily, thanks to increased government controls and sanctions, you don't have to worry about your salmon from Aldi contributing to a rogue nuclear arsenal or depriving humans of their basic rights. In fact, the only item you may want to avoid at Aldi in the seafood section is the prepackaged shrimp skewers, and that is simply because they might run too salty for your tastes. In fact, other seafood products like the extra colossal raw tiger shrimp are actually great buys both for price and quality, so shop away, knowing that the secret is out and efforts are in place to keep your seafood from contributing to heinous acts like human rights violations.