Video: Sobeys Seafood Tracing Initiative

I applaud Sobey’s initiative to push for increased transparency in their seafood supply chain. As a consumer, I have a difficult time making sustainable purchases at the grocery store when the selection is without labels detailing origin and catch method. I would greatly appreciate (and switch supermarkets for) a retail chain that made it very simple for me to make decisions. Anyone who has investigated sustainable seafood knows how difficult it can be to figure out origin and catch method. The local seafood counter people often can’t tell me if the seafood is farmed or wild meaning that I tend to buy tilapia or trout more than anything.

It would be great to have the decision making process much more simplified than its current condition. And to have all the information at hand at the grocery store when making the decisions. Perhaps I can suggest having a mounted tablet computer or kiosk at the fish counter where one can input a code and see the origin and catch method of the fish species they are interested in. It would also be great if the seafood could be tracked according to the common seafood sustainability guides (e.g. SeaChoice). Finally, as a consumer, I am looking for a “safe” place to purchase seafood at an affordable price. So my last suggestion is to remove sensitive species from the counter and supply chain altogether (i.e. bluefin tuna, shark etc). I would be happy to discuss this with you further if you are interested.

Once again, I am happy to see Sobey’s making a move to increased transparency. The seafood supply chain needs innovative initiatives before all the desirable fish species are depleted.