Conscious Choice: Labels for Safe Seafood?

December 2005 | Co-op America’s Living Green

Labels for Safe Seafood?

DEAR CO-OP AMERICA, Is there a label I can look for to find fish that are sustainably caught and low in contaminants?

— Fish-lover in Fresno, CA

GREAT QUESTION. There are indeed a few labels you can look for. The Marine Stewardship Council label (msc.org) appears on several different types of wild fish, indicating that they have been caught using eco-friendly methods. The fisheries are certified sustainable by MSC-approved independent certifying organizations.

The Fishwise label, the flagship project of the nonprofit Sustainable Fishery Advocates , 831-427-1707, appears on a variety of seafood. Fishwise labels tell consumers where the fish came from, and they also bear a color — green for sustainably caught seafood, yellow for seafood with some environmental problems, and red for unsustainably caught seafood.

Grocery stores must join the Fishwise program to use the labels, and currently, only select outlets in California have done so. However, SFA is currently expanding along the West Coast, and they hope to go national in the future.

Started by EcoFish founder and president Henry Lovejoy, Seafood Safe is the only seafood label that provides consumers with at-a-glance consumption recommendations based upon contaminant levels. The initiative is still in its beginning stages — currently, EcoFish, 603-834-6034, is the only seafood retailer carrying the label, though the program will open up to all seafood companies in 2006.

How it works is this: Fish carrying the Seafood Safe label display a number, which indicates how many four-ounce servings women of child-bearing age — the group most at risk from mercury contamination — can safely eat of that species. The number is determined by independent testing (by random sample) of the fish for mercury and PCBs, the methodology for which is reviewed by an independent panel of experts. Other toxins will be added to the testing platform as the program develops. Lovejoy hopes to someday have all seafood sold in the U.S. bear the label.

For a list you can carry with you to determine which fish types are best choices to eat, both in terms of your health and the environment, see our Real Money newsletter article on “Safe, Sustainable Seafood” at realmoney.org/pubs/realmoney/articles.

DEAR CO-OP AMERICA, I recently moved to a new location, and it seems that there is no recycling in my area. How can I check the availability in my neighborhood and, if necessary, get one started?

— Karen, e-mail

KAREN, try entering your new ZIP code into the database at Earth911.com. Earth911.com will let you know what recycling options are available in your area — if you don’t have curbside pickup, there may be a county recycling dropoff location or commercial recyclers nearby.

If there truly is no recycling available in your area, Earth911.com will also let you know which local official to contact to request recycling services or get advice. This official should be able to offer advice on getting recycling into your area.

Readers, if you have any advice on or stories about getting recycling programs into communities that lack them, please let us know.

Living Green is brought to you by Co-op America, a DC-based nonprofit that provides green living, purchasing, and investing tips and resources. To join Co-op America and get a free copy of the National Green Pages™ directory of green businesses, contact 800-58- GREEN , www.coopamerica.org. If you have a question for Living Green, e-mail.

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