Mainstream shopping outlets are now recognizing the financial and environmental wisdom of selling only seafood items processed under strict sustainable fishing guidelines to meet increased demand among consumers and environmentalists for practices that help curtail the depletion and degradation of marine life.
Mainstream shopping outlets are now recognizing the financial and environmental wisdom of selling only seafood items processed under strict sustainable fishing guidelines to meet increased demand among consumers and environmentalists for practices that help curtail the depletion and degradation of marine life.
In order to draw attention to the issue, Greenpeace issued a “report card” of stores ranking their respective sustainable fishing policies in mid 2009. In the report, entitled Carting Away the Oceans, the top ranked retailers were Wegmans, Ahold USA (operator of Giant, Stop & Shop and Giant Carlisle), Whole Foods, Harris Teeter, and WalMart, along with Target and Safeway, which just last month announced new policies governing which fish products they will offer in their stores.
“The uptick in sales is no coincidence”
For food brands like Organic Bistro which have long followed strict sustainable fishing guidelines, the new trend among national retailers is not only affirming the importance of the cause, but is having a direct and significant impact on sales as well. With the company’s Wild Salmon, Alaskan Salmon Cake and Jamaican Shrimp Cake frozen entrees currently available at Wegmans, Ahold’s Giant Carlisle, Whole Foods Markets and Harris Teeter (among many other stores), Organic Bistro has seen a favorable jump in its sale of seafood products over the past year.
“The uptick in sales is no coincidence,” says Stephen Moore, CEO of The Food Collective – parent company of Organic Bistro. “As more and more high-profile retailers continue to promote the benefits of sustainably fished products, consumers continue to gravitate toward brands like ours which offer delicious seafood produced in an environmentally-responsible way. I think shoppers also appreciate that Organic Bistro isn’t just now glomming on to the sustainable fishing trend, but has shown a commitment to this important issue from the very beginning.”
Organic Bistro – which also makes several non-seafood entrees - sources all of its fish and seafood from Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certified fisheries only. The Council is an international non-profit that reviews fishing practices from applicant fisheries and certifies them after extensive review of management practices. The company’s commitment to the environment is also reflected in its use of certified organic vegetables and other whole food ingredients which are grown through earth-friendly agricultural methods.
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