Recently Whole Foods have made some bold moves on its aggressive plan to sell only sustainable seafood. Presently, no “red labeled” seafood will be sold at the huge food chain. Certification standards are primarily enforced by three major companies, the Monteray Bay Aquarium’s SeaFoodWatch, the Blue Ocean Institute, and the Marine Stewardship Council. In fact, even the Environmental Defense Fund even has its own standards. Fisheries change dramatically over the years and the industry is known for its environmental impacts. Managing these fisheries on a global scale seems to be a daunting task for the parties involved. The somewhat questionable standards vary a bit from one organization to another, but most of the groups focus on the education of the consumer. In reality, seafood sustainability comes down to the well educated consumer. Barton Seaver in a recent TEDTalks video, redefines what sustainability means to the average consumer.
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As Of Earth Day 2012, the organic and natural food superstore Whole Foods no longer carries fish considered unsustainable.
In a post on its company blog, Whole Foods explained that its decision to eliminate “red-rated” seafood — species that suffer from overfishing or catching methods that harm other marine life or habitats — is motivated by a desire to reverse these global trends. The sustainable seafood rating systems used by Whole Foods were devised by the Monterey Bay Aquarium‘s Seafood Watch and the Blue Ocean Institute.
Whole Foods had already stopped selling orange roughy, shark, bluefin tuna and most marlin.
But do such high-minded measures really help the environment? Some scientists are now voicing doubt, saying that some labels lead customers to wrongly believe that the impact of choosing one fish over another is greater than reality.
via Whole Foods Seafood Ban: Unsustainable Fish No Longer Sold Include Skate And Atlantic Cod (PHOTOS).
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