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No More Red-Rated Wild Seafood in Our Stores

By Allison Burch, April 22, 2012  |  Meet the Blogger  |  More Posts by Allison Burch

Today’s a big day for us.

Not just because it's Earth Day but because as of today, in support of healthier oceans and to help reverse overfishing trends, Whole Foods Market® will no longer carry red-rated wild seafood. From now on, all of the wild-caught seafood we carry will be from fisheries certified sustainable by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), or green (best choice) or yellow (good alternative) species rated by Blue Ocean Institute (BOI) and Monterey Bay Aquarium (MBA).

A number of years ago we stopped selling several extremely depleted stocks, such as orange roughy and bluefin tuna; now we’ll no longer offer species rated red by BOI and MBA. Species such as Atlantic halibut, grey sole, skate wing, sturgeon and turbot, among others.

Watch this video to understand why this is an important (ahem) sea change.

If one of your favorite seafood species is red-rated, fear not. There are other fish in the sea!

Here are tips and recipes for a seafood swap out. Ready to go green (rated that is)? We’ve got lots of fabulous recipes for you to try; plus, a little seafood shopping incentive.

Still a little murky? Our seafood page is your compass to navigating seafood sustainability in our stores and our talented fishmongers are your capable captains, happy to answer any of your questions.

Happy Earth Day!

Category: Seafood
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36 Comments

Comments

frable says ...
Thank you for making a stand and banning the sale of unsustainable fish -especially the sale of sharks. I have been using the red list for years to inform my purchases and I am glad to know I can't go wrong in your store. I am a loyal customer and wil continue to be so.
04/25/2012 7:46:24 PM CDT
don says ...
You just lost my business for life. I am so tired of people caving in to every special interest group that exists.
04/26/2012 4:18:49 AM CDT
Top Hat Indexer says ...
Hey Alli! Good decision on the part of Whole Foods to take depleting fish species into consideration. I admire WF's willingness to take a stand on such matters, even in the face of inevitable criticism. Keep up the good work and great blogging!
04/26/2012 3:46:15 PM CDT
wally3000 says ...
Still see Chilean Seabass at my local WF.
04/26/2012 11:38:46 PM CDT
Janet says ...
the tiny list of fish that you say you will not sell does not even come close to the Red List of species. Will you be selling Childean Sea bass, Red Snapper? And to those people who say they won't shop at WF any more and will go elsewhere to buy unsustainable fish species, huh? It's like supporting the logger who is cutting down the last Redwood tree to save his job, but then puts himself out of a job by cutting down the last Redwood tree.
04/29/2012 10:12:44 AM CDT
John says ...
If sustainability is important to Whole Foods then why not only sell lower trophic level fish which have many greater health benefits as well as having lower bioaccumulation of mercury? Instead of offering only the fish in demand, why not try to spread the demand across many more varieties of seafood?
05/01/2012 3:14:00 PM CDT
ForTheRightChoice says ...
All in all, the commitment Whole Foods is showing to expanding the global awareness surrounding our seafood issues is commendable! Having the BOI, MBA, and MSC allows the consumer to choose whether or not to buy. If it bothers you, don't buy the seafood!If the Farming standards don't meet yours, don't buy the farmed fish. I respect that WFM's stance is NOT dogmatic, yet some of the viewpoints expressed ARE! Splitting hairs about the issues are clearly typical of evading the real issues. So....that said, again......make educated choices based on what you believe to be true and don't inflict self-righteous, obviously closed and selfish viewpoints on others. Peace out!
05/09/2012 12:58:05 PM CDT
Rosa says ...
I am so proud of Whole Food for making this decision and banning the sale of unsustainable fish. I have to travel across Cleveland Ohio to shop at WF, hopefully they will come to Westlake soon. Rosa
06/25/2012 1:04:31 PM CDT
Laura says ...
Kudos to WH for leading this effort--although I am still squeamish about some of the MSC rankings, it is good to see red snapper, grouper, and others permanently off the shelves! To all those people concerned about fishermen and their livelihoods, why not vow to buy American? U.S.fisheries are more carefully managed than others around the world and these are AMERICAN jobs! Put your money where your mouth is! BTW, WH, could you please start selling U.S. farm-raised shrimp? I had it for the first time recently and it was OUTSTANDING. I would buy that at least once a week, if I could get it. Thanks again, WHole Foods!
07/03/2012 7:48:55 PM CDT
cheap swords says ...
Yes I agree seafood should be better controlled, otherwise we will have nothing in the future.
08/06/2012 7:15:45 AM CDT
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11/01/2012 5:16:50 PM CDT

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