The Co-op Food Stores of New Hampshire and Vermont

added 10/14/08

“FESTBL” is Co-op shorthand for our cooperative’s Financial, Environmental, and Social Triple Bottom Line—a philosophy that ensures any decision we make takes into account the well-being of the business, the planet, and the people who inhabit it. With FishWise, Co-op Seafood puts FESTBL into practice—also putting a color-coded stamp on the importance of a sustainable environment. It started with a simple, alarming observation: Global fish stocks are suffering acros the globe, and the threat is growing stronger every year. As a result, two powerful organizations—the Monterey Bay Aquarium and Environmental Defense—have joined forces to put a program in place that makes a difference, and the Co-op is the first retailer in the Northeast to jump on board.

The Colorful World of FishWise

FishWise is a program that informs our shoppers about the sustainability issues related to fish consumption. At the heart of the FishWise system is a set of three color-coded product lables. Consumer information appears on green, yellow, or red signs allowing shoppers to quickly learn the facts about fresh seafood being sold:

• Green indicates seafood that is the best choice based on healthy populations and catch or farming methods.

• Yellow-labeled seafood identifies products with known concerns about species population, ecosystem, or questionable harvesting methods.

• A product bearing a red label may still be sold, but it is clearly deemed as unsustainable due to low fish stocks, adverse environmental effects, or, perhaps, excessive bycatch.

“FishWise was a reponse to member and shopper requests,” says Paul Hoffman, the Co-op’s Assistant Director of Merchandising. “In keeping with Co-op policy and our cooperative principles, we want to provide accurate and thorough information to our member and shoppers so that they may make informed decisions. As buyers for our members, we consider this a better choice than to simply stop selling items we have deemed inappropriate or unsustainable.”

All seafood retailers affiliated with FishWise have the flexibility to continue to sell products from the red category, Hoffman said, adding that the FishWise program at the Co-op goes well beyond informative signs in the seafood case.

“Our staff has gone through a certification process,” he said. “We’ve extensively researched where our suppliers get their fish, which was a learning experience for them, too. Education allows us to put the power of the marketplace to work on the problem.”

So far, customer response to the program has been enthusiastic. Hoffman says, as our customers learn to shop the FishWise system, the Co-op will modify its own buying practices to match the response in consumer choices.

“It’s not about selling seafood,” he said. “It’s about giving people the facts with no spin. Threats to seafood populations are many, yet by putting information in the hands of the consumer where they shop, we can use facts to spread the word about sustainable seafood choices.”

What Do You Think?

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