Target stores to join seafood sustainability movement
Opinion
It seems like every week brings one announcement after the other about a grocery or retail chain of stores making promises to “go green” when it comes to providing seafood to its customers. The problem is that many of the programs out there that carry a claim of “Certifying Bodies” don’t use scientifically responsible criteria for their assessment of certain fishing or fish farming practices, but rather a set of environmental criteria based on emotions and personal preferences. An example of this is the previous announcement by Target that it will no longer sell farmed salmon- a fish that is produced sustainably in many parts of the world.
The article in SustainableBusiness.com provides more details about this latest announcement; Target Corp says that by 2015 all of the fresh and frozen seafood it sells will be sustainable and traceable. About a year ago, Target eliminated severely overfished Chilean sea bass, orange roughy and farmed salmon. The chain currently carries over 50 Marine Stewardship Council (MSC)-certified or Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP)-certified fresh and frozen seafood products.
Target plans to buy seafood from third-party certified fisheries and farms, encourage other sources to get certified, and engage with government agencies, NGOs and industry groups to trace seafood from the supply chain to its source. It will also educate shoppers about seafood sustainability and encourage them to make informed seafood purchases. Target joins a growing list of major retailers that sell only sustainable seafood - supermarket chains Safeway, Wegmans and Whole Foods, and Sysco, the largest food service company in the US.
Kroger supermarkets pulled endangered marlin, shark and bluefin tuna from its shelves and will source only sustainable seafood by 2015. McDonald's customers across Europe will soon be eating Filet-o-Fish sandwiches made with fish certified by the Marine Stewardship Council. Last year, the company sold 100 million Filet-o-Fish sandwiches in Europe.
