Greenpeace Ranks Supermarkets on Seafood Sustainability

Smart shopping is one of the key obstacles every green foodie faces. Consumers are constantly presented with choices on where to buy, what to buy, and what items to avoid altogether. Choosing the right seafood can be an especially murky area when factoring in health and environmental concerns. Luckily, Greenpeace makes things a little easier for eco-conscious eaters with its "Carting Away the Oceans" reports.

Each year, the environmental non-profit ranks supermarket chains on the sustainability of their seafood section. Greenpeace recently released its 2010 report, which shows some significant improvement over previous years' reports. The group graded 20 grocery chains as "good," "pass," or "fail." In 2008, not a single supermarket chain passed. This year, 50 percent of the stores evaluated earned passing marks or better, including Trader Joe's, which recently committed to green up its seafood selection.

Surprisingly, Target came out on top of this year's scorecard, followed by Wegman's and then Whole Foods. Earning the lowest marks were Publix, Winn Dixie, Meijer, and H.E. Butt (bet that slacker feels like a real ass, heh heh). Click here to check out the full list.

Greenpeace graded the stores based on four criteria. First, does the company have a sustainable seafood policy in place and is it publicly available? Second, does the store collaborate with any non-profits, advocacy groups, or task forces in sourcing its fish? Third, is there a clear labeling system in the store so shoppers can identify where and how a fish was caught? And finally, how many red-list species does the store sell?

And sure, Greenpeace's rating system is simplistic, and all of these stores could stand to improve the sustainability of their seafood. But what is especially encouraging about this report is the significant change that's occurred from year to year. Half of these stores earned a passing grade this year as opposed to two years ago when none of them passed. That fact alone proves that consumer demand can play a huge role in corporate policy. When it comes to environmental sustainability, shoppers really do have a voice.

Greenpeace's report can help consumers choose where to purchase products. For more info on which fish boast healthy populations and what types of seafood contain low mercury counts, be sure to also bring along fish guides like those from the Monterey Bay Aquarium, the Blue Ocean Institute, or the NRDC.

Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons