Whole Food's Seafood Sustainability Labels: Is this the right path?

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.
Related News: Island of Kribiti Closes more than 150,000 Miles to Fishing

Reducing Agriculture's Greenhouse Gas Emissions- Analysis of a few different approaches

If you haven't noticed yet, a recent article from the Economic Research Service is stirring up quite a bit of buzz. The article, The Role of Agriculture in Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions, suggests how agriculture might be incorporated into a national greenhouse gas reduction program. One of the best traits of this article is in its comprehensive list of ways that farmers across products can reduce their emissions, ranging from biogas to alternative tilling. It also offers up a few approaches for encouraging changes, and its seems like a good opportunity to discuss the pros and cons of these options.



The first incentive program mentioned gives carbon credits to farmers who change their practices, which they can then sell to industries participating in a cap and trade program. This program offers a lot of efficiency gains, but not necessarily huge environmental benefits. All incentive programs, if priced correctly, will motivate farmers and general industry to reduce emissions to a socially optimal point. In addition to this sort of efficiency, trade between sectors will make sure the reductions are spread appropriately. That is, society could take on undue costs in reducing greenhouse gases if all of the responsibility relies on one industry. Clearly, this type of program has a lot to offer. However, notice that all the of reduction emissions attained in the agricultural sector are compensated for by increases in emissions within the capped industries. This means that accurate forecasts of farmers responses are necessary, as the goal for reduced emissions in agriculture has to be worked into the initial cap and trade limitations. So this program might require a bit more planning, and doesn't offer environmental gains to programs that already have cap and trade in place, but it comes with a bundle of efficiency gains that make it very appealing.