Where does your grocery store rank in seafood sustainability?
Posted on | December 16, 2009 | 3 Comments
Major retailers of seafood can have huge effects on the health of fish stocks. Greenpeace took it upon themselves to rank twenty of the largest retailers in North America on how sustainable their seafood products and purchasing policies are. Their report, Carting Away the Oceans, was most recently updated this past summer.
The retailers that received ‘passing’ grades ranged from your average grocery store to more upscale retailers. Target, Safeway, and Ahold (operator of Giant and Stop & Shop) all made a strong showing in the top five for developing sustainable seafood policies. Rounding out the top five, Wegmans and Whole Foods offer sustainable seafood products that are around the same price or below similar non-sustainable products found at other stores. This goes to show that you can shop at a range of grocery stores and pay normal prices to bring home sustainable seafood. The key is to know what you’re buying. Using tools of the trade will help.
SOP was most shocked to see Trader Joe’s ranked seventeenth. TJ’s values organic foods, high quality products, and general well-being. It seems natural that they would effectively promote and sell sustainable seafood. But apparently they have some work to do.
Greenpeace is critical of retailers’ transparency with regard to their policies and products. Hypocritically, Greenpeace does not explain the methodology they used to determine a store’s ranking. However, they provide a ton of other information about sustainable seafood initiatives and policies at your favorite grocery store. Check out the
report.
Tags: Ahold > Carting Away the Oceans > fish stock > fishery > Greenpeace > grocery store > retailer > Safeway > seafood > sustainable > Target > Trader Joe's > Wegmans > Whole Foods
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December 17th, 2009 @ 11:01 AM
pretty shocked myself to see TJ’s that low. although i guess low price is the priority for them. i see some fish there that i definitely won’t buy.
December 29th, 2009 @ 11:12 AM
Thanks for the comment. We’ll have to keep an eye on them.
January 1st, 2010 @ 1:23 PM
I’m not surprised about Trader Joe’s. So much in the store is very overpackaged, too. But honestly, the bigger issue is about how much overharvesting of the seas occurs. Consumers need to pressure producers to minimize by-catch and waste and to reduce predation on species whose populations are rapidly diminishing. We can make change happen if we use the power of our purse or pocketbook as a bright “green” carrot to reward producers who fish sustainably.