A software company has won a US$250,000 prize for developing a service that helps seafood companies vet their supply chains to determine the risks for slave labor, and eliminating it from the supply chain.

The US State and Justice Departments created the competition with the San Francisco-based foundation Humanity Unite.  The winner is Trace Register, which counts several international seafood companies on its clients list as well as major US supermarket chains Whole Foods and Wegman's.

The company's groundbreaking logistics software contains an online survey that suppliers complete.  The questions determine seafood sustainability and quality control, determine the proportion of migrant workers in their supply chains, how long their ships remain out at sea, recruiting practices, and ports of call.  All of the answers get cross-checked against data from rights groups, non-profit organizations, and public data from government authorities, to flag potential parts in the supply chain that should be investigated further.

These grants are being awarded as governments, consumers, and activists increasingly demand seafood that was not produced as a result of slave or otherwise coerced labor.  Many seafood companies are wary of the survey, saying that it's incredibly difficult to go deep into sourcing and production because supply chains have become more global and complex.  California and the UK both passed laws requiring companies keep closer watch over their supply chains to root out forced labor - but as many as half of the companies subject to those laws don't comply.

"The presence of forced labor in corporate supply chains is a systemic problem that has been difficult to address," said Catherine Chen of the group Humanity United.  "It is our hope that these technologies will give business, workers, and governments helpful tools for greater transparency and visibility," she added.

The International Labor Organization estimates there are nearly 19 million victims of forced labor worldwide, generating $150 billion in illegal profits per year - mostly in Asia.