Robert Seistema, in a recent Village Voice Blog, pointed out that some Whole Foods branches have started labeling the fish they sell according the Blue Ocean Institutes Sustainability rating. The kicker is, Whole Foods continues to sell the "red label," or unsustainable, species. We're left to wrestle a question- if they know that the fish is unsustainably harvested, do they have the responsibility to stop selling it?
Well, let's start with a little bit more background. Before instituting this program, Whole Foods would label wild caught fish designated as sustainable by the Marine Stewardship Council, but leave all others unlabeled. So there's no denying an improvement. At least now people aren't left guessing about the sustainability of anything not MSC certified, and Whole Foods has a plan in place to phase out all "red label" fish by Earth Day 2013.
But this all dodges the main question- do suppliers have the responsibility to stop selling unsustainable fish? Honestly, its almost seems ridiculous. Sure, for a grocery chain like Whole Foods that thrives on a sustainable image, it might make sense. However, for most grocery stores, that is like asking them to redirect customers to another store upon arrival. On the other hand, adding sustainability labels will likely reduce the consumption of unsustainable seafood and won't drive customers away, but it certainly doesn't solve the problem. Like most free rider problems, there needs to be some sort of system in place to keep individuals from over indulging and damaging public welfare. That is, we have to keep working at this as an international community. We have to increase our fish conservation efforts through programs like protected waters. If species begin to revive, then we might be able to rely on consumers (and thus grocers) choosing responsibly. Asking them to cut it out entirely probably won't create much success. In short, while it makes sense to label all seafood according to its sustainability, expecting more responsibility from grocers is unlikely to save a species.
Read the full Whole Foods Phase-Out Plan.
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