Fish Sales: Retailers Caught in a Net?
Having been told repeatedly that fish is an important part of a balanced diet, consumers are now finding that it isn't really that simple. Three different stories in the past week have outlined just some of the issues causing confusion that manufacturers and retailers have to try to resolve for the sake of their customers and profit margins.
Britain's Times explained that labels on tinned tuna, long considered to be good and healthy, can mislead those who try to ensure that they only eat sustainably caught products. Apparently a label that says "dolphin-friendly" methods were used fails to cover all bad practices. "Although dolphins have been afforded a degree of protection from tuna fleets, other marine creatures are still commonly caught and killed as by-catch from tuna fishing, particularly rare turtles and sharks," said the newspaper report.
In the U.S., Costco has recognized warnings from the FDA about mercury in seafood and decided to pass the information on to shoppers. According to the Tampa Bay Business Journal, ocean conservation group, Oceana, said Costco's decision is a response to member requests and Oceana's efforts. "Mercury is a known neurotoxin most commonly consumed in contaminated fish," Oceana explained.
They have also been negotiating with other chains about posting the FDA advice claiming success with Kroger, Safeway and Supervalu. Walmart is currently the only holdout nationally.
Stop & Shop, meanwhile, has decided to stop selling certain fish altogether. The Boston Globe reports that species threatened by over-fishing, particularly fresh shark and frozen Chilean sea bass and orange roughy, will no longer be available. Senior manager Ken Pentheny said it's the first time the company has removed fish from its inventory for conservation reasons.
Not long ago, some of Britain's top chefs also advised that fish frozen at sea is often better than what is sold as "fresh". With such a range of factors muddying the waters about purchasing decisions, retailers may agree with Heather Tausig, director of conservation at New England Aquarium, and wonder if they should follow Stop & Shop's example and stop selling certain fish, or any fish, at all.
Discussion Questions: With gray areas surrounding the safety of fish consumption and sustainability of the supply, is there too great a risk to retailers' credibility? Do you expect retailers to increasingly back away from selling fish because of the complications and liabilities?