Target Takes Aim at Farmed Salmon
Posted on | January 27, 2010 | No Comments
In a monumental move, retail giant Target announced yesterday that it is removing all farm-raised salmon products from its 1,744 stores nationwide. From now on, salmon sold under Target owned brands will be wild-caught and from Alaska. While this is another significant contribution to the sustainable seafood movement, SOP explains how Target can do more with minimal additional effort.
Target consulted with the Monterey Bay Aquarium (MBA) to develop policies to ensure its salmon products come from sustainable sources. Both entities have an opportunity here to educate Target customers about sustainable seafood. SOP feels it is not enough to simply make a change in policy and be done with it. Target has a responsibility to explain to its customers why farmed salmon is a bad choice. MBA, whose mission is “to inspire conservation of the oceans,” should be pushing the retailer to include an education component and helping with its efforts, which can be as simple as posting signs near salmon offerings.
Salmon: Jumping into the spotlight
One could easily interpret Target’s latest move as promoting the blanket message that farmed salmon is bad. However, it is not that black and white. In fact, according to MBA’s Seafood Watch program, farmed salmon is actually a “best choice” when it comes from U.S. producers that raise fish in tank systems. In a time when American businesses need good press, it is important for consumers to know we can support domestic producers with a clear conscience. Many of the larger salmon farming operations in Norway, Chile, and Canada are bad for the environment because they introduce excessive pollution, chemicals, and parasites into ocean and coastal waters. Another real threat from these operations is escapement of non-native farmed fish into the wild, which can seriously harm native populations.
Target’s latest move certainly will not hurt its ranking in seafood sustainability among other grocery stores. However, including a complementary educational program will show that the retailer is truly interested in helping to save the oceans.
Tags: aquaculture > farm-raised > farmed > fishery > Monterey Bay Aquarium > movement > ocean > retailer > salmon > seafood > Seafood Watch > sustainable > Target
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