Sophie Bennett
Chicken of the Sea is a packager and provider of seafood, owned by Thai Union Group in Samut Sakhon, Thailand. The company was founded in the United States in 1914 when Gilbert Van Camp moved to San Pedro, Los Angeles, and purchased the California Tuna Canning Company, changing the name to the Van Camp Sea Food Company. In 2006, Thai Union formed Chicken of the Sea Frozen Foods, a division that focuses on sales of premium-quality fresh and frozen seafood products, including crab meat.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Company | Chicken of the Sea |
| Company Type | Packager and provider of seafood |
| Owner | Thai Union Group |
| Location | Samut Sakhon, Thailand |
| Products | Tuna, salmon, clams, crab, shrimp, mackerel, oysters, kippers, and sardines |
| Product Types | Cans, pouches, and cups |
| Supply Chain | Owned and controlled by the company, with full transparency for consumers |
| Sister Brands | Genova and Ace of Diamonds |
| History | Founded in the US when Gilbert Van Camp purchased the California Tuna Canning Company in 1914 |
| Branding | Adopted the slogan "Chicken of the Sea" in the 1950s, which became the company name |
| Sales | Annual sales climbed to US$600 million with the acquisition of Empress International in 2003 |
| Divisions | Chicken of the Sea Frozen Foods, formed in 2006, focuses on premium quality fresh and frozen seafood |
| Lawsuits | Sued in 2015 by Olean Wholesale Grocery for alleged price-fixing, along with competitors Bumble Bee Foods and StarKist |
| Product Recall | Recalled 107,000 cans of tuna in 2016 due to undercooking |
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What You'll Learn
Chicken of the Sea is a packager and provider of seafood
Chicken of the Sea offers a wide range of seafood products, including tuna, salmon, clams, crab, shrimp, mackerel, oysters, kippers, and sardines. The company is committed to sustainability and providing full transparency across its supply chain. They own and control their supply chain and source 100% from active fishery improvement projects (FIPs). With their vertical integration, quality assurances, and market intelligence, they have become industry leaders in the seafood industry.
In 1963, the Van Camp Seafood Company was acquired by Ralston Purina. However, in 1988, Ralston sold its Van Camp division to an Indonesian corporation, PT Mantrust, which faced financial troubles. As a result, the primary creditor, Prudential Life Insurance, sold a 50 percent interest in Chicken of the Sea to Tri-Marine International Inc. and Edmund A. Gann in 2000. Subsequently, in 2003, Chicken of the Sea acquired Empress International, a company specializing in frozen shrimp and other shellfish, which boosted their annual sales significantly.
Today, Chicken of the Sea is owned by the Thai Union Group in Samut Sakhon, Thailand, and continues to be a leading provider of seafood with a strong focus on sustainability and quality. The company has demonstrated its commitment to sustainability by implementing three levels of quality control and providing full transparency across its supply chain. This allows consumers to trace their crab meat back to its source and learn about the journey it took to reach their tables.
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The company was founded in the US in 1914
Chicken of the Sea is a well-known brand in the seafood industry, particularly in the US and Thailand. The company was founded in the US in 1914 when Gilbert Van Camp, the son of Frank Van Camp, moved to San Pedro, Los Angeles, and acquired the California Tuna Canning Company. This acquisition marked the beginning of the Van Camp Sea Food Company, which would later become the iconic Chicken of the Sea brand.
The Van Camp Sea Food Company flourished under Gilbert Van Camp's leadership, and in the 1950s, they adopted the catchy advertising slogan "Chicken of the Sea." This slogan was initially devised to describe the taste and uniqueness of their seafood products. The phrase resonated so strongly with consumers that it not only became the company's name but also a lasting part of its brand identity.
The company's historical connection to the name "Chicken of the Sea" is rooted in the traditional terminology used by fishermen. In the old days, fishermen referred to white albacore tuna as "chicken of the sea." This nickname was given because the white colour and mild flavour of the tuna reminded them of chicken. Thus, when the Van Camp Sea Food Company adopted the slogan, they were not only tapping into a catchy phrase but also connecting with a longstanding tradition within the fishing industry.
Over the years, the company underwent several ownership changes. In 1963, the Van Camp Seafood Company was acquired by Ralston Purina, and in 1988, it was sold to an Indonesian corporation, PT Mantrust. The company continued to evolve, and in 2000, Tri-Marine International Inc. and Edmund A. Gann sold their 50% interest to Thai Union International, Inc., making Thai Union the sole owner. This shift marked a new chapter in the company's history, with the formation of Chicken of the Sea International through the merger of Chicken of the Sea and Tri-Union International LLC.
Today, Chicken of the Sea is a prominent packager and provider of seafood, with a diverse range of products, including crab meat. The company's crab meat is sourced through its division, Chicken of the Sea Frozen Foods, which was established in 2006 to focus on premium-quality fresh and frozen seafood. As industry leaders for over 15 years, Chicken of the Sea prioritises vertical integration, quality assurances, sustainability, and market intelligence in its operations.
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It was originally called the California Tuna Canning Company
Chicken of the Sea, a seafood packager and provider, was originally called the California Tuna Canning Company. The company was founded in the United States when Frank Van Camp's son, Gilbert Van Camp, moved to San Pedro, Los Angeles, in 1914 and purchased the California Tuna Canning Company, renaming it the Van Camp Seafood Company.
In the 1950s, the company adopted the advertising slogan "Chicken of the Sea", which was initially devised as a way to describe the taste of white albacore tuna, owing to its white flesh and mild flavour, reminiscent of chicken. The slogan was so successful that it eventually became the company's name.
Over the years, Chicken of the Sea has undergone several ownership changes. In 1963, the Van Camp Seafood Company was purchased by Ralston Purina. Subsequently, in 1988, Ralston sold its Van Camp division to an Indonesian corporation, PT Mantrust, which faced financial difficulties. The primary creditor, Prudential Life Insurance, then became involved in the business.
In 2000, Tri-Marine International Inc. and Edmund A. Gann sold their 50% interest in Chicken of the Sea to Thai Union International Inc., making Thai Union the sole owner. Following this, Chicken of the Sea International merged with Tri-Union International LLC, retaining the former's name.
Chicken of the Sea has expanded its product offerings beyond tuna to include other seafood items such as crab meat. The company is committed to sustainability and providing full transparency across its supply chain, allowing consumers to trace the origin of their crab products.
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The company was purchased by Ralston Purina in 1963
Chicken of the Sea is a packager and provider of seafood, owned by the Thai Union Group in Samut Sakhon, Thailand. The brand is attached to canned, pouched, and cupped tuna, salmon, clams, crab, shrimp, mackerel, oysters, kippers, and sardines. The company was founded in the United States when Frank Van Camp's son, Gilbert Van Camp, moved to San Pedro, Los Angeles, in 1914, and purchased the California Tuna Canning Company, changing the name to the Van Camp Sea Food Company. They adopted the advertising slogan "Chicken of the Sea" in the 1950s. The phrase "Chicken of the Sea", first devised as a way to describe the taste, was so successful that soon it also became the company name.
In 1963, the Van Camp Seafood Company was purchased by Ralston Purina, a St. Louis, Missouri-based American conglomerate with substantial holdings in animal feed, food, pet food, consumer products, and entertainment. The company was founded in 1894 by William H. Danforth, who established the animal feed company Purina Mills. Danforth formed a partnership with George Robinson, and William Andrews entered the business of feeding farm animals by founding the Robinson-Danforth Commission Company. Its predominant brand for each animal was generally referred to as "Chow", hence "Purina Horse Chow", "Purina Dog Chow", "Purina Cat Chow", "Purina Rabbit Chow", "Purina Pig Chow", and "Purina Monkey Chow". Later, the company began producing cereal, which received endorsement by Webster Edgerly, founder of Ralstonism, to market Ralston breakfast cereals.
Ralston Purina owned the Van Camp Sea Food Company, with Chicken of the Sea as its main product, from 1963 to 1988. During this time, Ralston Purina also owned an animal pharmaceutical company in the 1970s and 1980s. Protein Technologies International was a wholly-owned subsidiary of Ralston Purina, producing soy protein products since 1958. Ralston Purina's checkerboard trademark was introduced in 1902 and was inspired by William Danforth's childhood memory of a family dressed in clothing made from the same bolt of checkerboard cloth. The company's headquarters was called Checkerboard Square.
In 1984, Ralston Purina gutted Van Camp's San Diego facilities, closing the cannery and moving it to American Samoa to access cheaper labor and be closer to one of the richest fishing grounds in the world. In 1988, Ralston sold its Van Camp division to an Indonesian corporation, PT Mantrust, which had financial problems. The primary creditor, Prudential Life Insurance Company, became the majority owner. The new owners planned to leverage their fishing fleet and expanded canning operation in Indonesia with Van Camp's American Samoa cannery and brand name to execute a fully integrated approach to supplying canned tuna to the United States. However, due to high-interest rates in Indonesia and its overly leveraged structure, PT Mantrust experienced cash flow difficulties.
In 1997, the company was purchased by the investment group Tri-Union Seafoods LLC, made up of three partners: Thai Union International Inc., a Thai conglomerate based in Bangkok and the then-largest tuna packer in Asia and second-largest in the world; Edmund A. Gann, the American owner of Caribbean Marine Service, Co., Inc., a tuna-fishing fleet; and Tri-Marine International, Inc., a global trading company formed in Singapore in 1972 dealing in tuna and tuna products. The new owners changed the name of Van Camp Seafood Company to Chicken of the Sea International.
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Chicken of the Sea is owned by Thai Union Group in Thailand
Chicken of the Sea is a packager and provider of seafood, including crab meat. The company was founded in the United States in 1914 as the Van Camp Seafood Company by Gilbert Van Camp. The company adopted the advertising slogan "Chicken of the Sea" in the 1950s, and the phrase soon became the company name.
In 1963, the Van Camp Seafood Company was purchased by Ralston Purina, and in 1988, Ralston sold its Van Camp division to an Indonesian corporation, PT Mantrust. In 2000, Tri-Marine International Inc. and Edmund A. Gann sold their 50% interest in Chicken of the Sea to Thai Union International Inc., leaving Thai Union as the sole owner of the company.
Thai Union Group, the owner of Chicken of the Sea, is headquartered in Samut Sakhon, Thailand. It is the world's largest canned tuna company and has been implicated in serious human rights and environmental abuses. Thai Union has been accused of offering no sustainable and ethical products to consumers, and its large size and reach have been seen as a responsibility to drive change in the industry.
Chicken of the Sea has also faced criticism and legal issues. In 2015, the company was sued by Olean Wholesale Grocery, accused of colluding with competitors to fix prices. In 2016, the company recalled 107,000 cans of tuna due to undercooking, and in 2018, it moved its headquarters from San Diego to El Segundo, California. Despite facing criticism, Chicken of the Sea remains one of the largest tuna brands in the United States.
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Frequently asked questions
Chicken of the Sea is owned by Thai Union Group, which is based in Samut Sakhon, Thailand.
Chicken of the Sea is one of the top importers of pasteurized crab meat in North America. The company sources 100% of its crab meat from active fishery improvement projects (FIPs).
Chicken of the Sea has three levels of quality controls in place to ensure the quality of its crab meat.
