
Good news for eco-pescatarians: Supermarkets are adopting more sustainable seafood standards. Greenpeace just released its latest seafood sustainability scorecard — Carting Away the Oceans — and for the first time, half the leading U.S. supermarkets were awarded passing grades!
Among the newly greener supermarkets is Trader Joe’s, which agreed to implement sustainable seafood policies after Greenpeace gave the chain an F in its last report and ran a widely-publicized “Traitor Joe‘s” campaign. In addition, A&P (Food Emporium, Pathmark, Super Fresh, Waldbaum’s) and Delhaize (Bloom, Food Lion, Hannaford Bros., Sweetbay) got more ocean-friendly too, both earning passing grades for the first time.
Somewhat surprisingly, Target took the top spot for sustainable seafood for its many green policies, including getting rid of farmed salmon from its stores altogether — “a task that many retail representatives had claimed to be impossible, especially given the price point at which Target operates,” according to Greenpeace’s report. That and other green strides means Target beat out even Whole Foods, which Greenpeace says still sells “a tremendous amount of red list seafood options” — though is poised to adopt more comprehensive sustainable seafood practices soon.
Check Greenpeace’s seafood page to see how your usual supermarket scores; simply select your state to pull up the supermarkets in your area. Or read the full report for the nitty gritty on how your supermarket earned its score by downloading Carting Away the Oceans (PDF).
It’ll still be a while before you can shop for seafood without eco-worries. While half the supermarkets now have a “pass” from Greenpeace, none — not even Target — scored in the “good” range. Until your supermarket earns that greener score, use sustainable seafood guides — now available as mobile apps! — to make the best seafood choices.
Image via Greenpeace

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