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By Betsy Keller, MS, RD

This article is the first in a series on seafood.

Have you noticed certain types of fish once available at the supermarket seafood counter are now rarely offered?  Why is it suddenly difficult to find Chilean Sea Bass, Orange Roughy and Atlantic Cod? Unfortunately, the lack of variety and sky high seafood prices at the counter are an alarming reflection of declining fish populations in our oceans.  Larger, slow-growing fish that reproduce late in life, such as orange roughy, are quite vulnerable to overfishing. Seafood species that grow quickly and breed early, such as anchovies and sardines have a better chance of surviving.

Unfortunately, the ocean’s ability to produce fish to meet our insatiable demand for seafood has diminished. According to the United Nations, an overwhelming 80 percent of fisheries are fully exploited, overfished, depleted, or recovering from depletion. Restoring wild fisheries can add to the supply, but scientists agree that regulated fish farming, or aquaculture, is one of the few alternatives in which we can increase seafood production.

What is a seafood lover to do?

Thanks to organizations such as the Marine Stewardship Council, Monterey Bay Aquarium and The Blue Ocean Institute, there has been a dedicated effort to educate consumers about overfishing and the environmental effects of certain fishing methods.   They are inspiring us to purchase sustainable seafood from either marine fisheries or responsibly managed farm sources that can maintain or increase fish populations, all while not harming wildlife, fish ecosystems and water quality.

Whole Foods Markets to the Rescue

This September, the sustainable seafood movement gained momentum when Whole Foods Markets – 300 markets nationwide – launched their Sustainable Seafood Rating program.  According to Michael Sinatra, Whole Foods North East Public Affairs Manager, the unique program has a two pronged approach – educate shoppers at the fish counter (who will eventually learn about and buy less of the overfished species) and build a more sustainable seafood supply chain by putting pressure on fish suppliers to source fish caught by less harmful fishing methods.

Based on a simple stoplight visual, seafood is given a green, yellow or red rating (see image above). A green rating indicates that the species is abundant and is caught in environmentally friendly ways. Yellow cautions us to become aware there are concerns about the status of the species or the methods by which it was caught. A red rating signifies the species is being dramatically overfished, or the methods used are harming other marine life or ecosystems. According to Michael, the red fish will eventually be phased out and unavailable. For now, they would like to raise a red flag and have us take notice – a teachable moment at the fish counter.

The program is in addition to its wild-caught rating program with the Marine Stewardship Council and compliments Whole Foods Market’s own high standards to prohibit selling farmed seafood raised with the use of antibiotics, added growth hormones, added preservatives, genetically-modified seafood, and land animal by-products in feed.

Betsy Keller, MS, RD is a public relations professional specializing in nutrition education who works to ensure a more sustainable food future.

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MEDIA ALERT for August 2010

CONTACTS:

Alison Goldstein for Wholesome Wave: 646.695.7040, Alison@rosengrouppr.com

Julie Droege-Thorpe for Whole Foods: 617.803.5055, Julie.droege-thorpe@wholefoods.com

Whole Foods Market^® Partners with Bridgeport-Based Nonprofit Wholesome Wave for Donation Matching Effort

Nation’s Leading Natural Grocer Works to Nourish Connecticut Neighborhoods

WHAT: Whole Foods Market stores in Connecticut are working with local consumers to raise funds for Wholesome Wave in partnership with National Public Radio (NPR).  Bridgeport-based Wholesome Wave, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to make healthy, affordable locally grown foods available to communities that would otherwise not have access to them, will receive a dollar from Whole Foods for every dollar a customer donates to NPR.  Throughout the month of August, Whole Foods Market will match up to $4,000 in customer donations.

WHEN:          August 1-30, 2010

WHERE: All seven Whole Foods Market locations throughout Connecticut:

• West Hartford locations
• Glastonbury
• Milford
• Darien
• Westport
• Greenwich

WHY: The nation’s leading natural and organic grocer is rallying the Connecticut community to support Wholesome Wave, a nonprofit with a national reach.

Since its founding in 2007, Wholesome Wave has inserted itself deep into rural and urban communities in need of nutritional and economic viability via its hallmark Double Value Coupon Program, which incentivizes the purchase of fresh fruits and vegetables by doubling the value of food stamp dollars at participating farmers markets throughout the country.

This August, Wholesome Wave launched the Fruit and Veggie Prescription Program, an initiative for at-risk consumers to exchange healthcare provider-generated “prescriptions” for local fresh fruit and vegetables at participating farmers’ markets.

FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT WHOLESOME WAVE, PLEASE CONTACT ALISON GOLDSTEIN AT ALISON@ROSENGROUPPR.COM or 646.695.7040

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Don’t forget to shop at Whole Foods Westport Today. Whole Foods Westport supports local organizations, local food producers and Ambler Farm. Whole Foods will donate 5% of today’s gross sales to Ambler Farm. We’ll be there today (Wednesday, April 7th), from 11am to 5pm. We hope you will be too, and that you’ll stop by to say hello while you’re shopping!

Your Friends at Ambler Farm
www.amblerfarm.org

Whole Foods is located at 399 Post Road West in Westport.

Sunday, March 14, 2010, 7:45 am

Analiese Paik of the Fairfield Green Food Guide discussed sustainable seafood with Matt Scott on Ch. 8′s Good Morning Connecticut Show

Click here to view the video  and post comments.

Why Sustainable Seafood?

Nearly 75% of the world’s fisheries are fished to capacity, or overfished. Our seafood choices have a direct impact on the health of our oceans. I recently became an advocate for Seafood Watch, a program of the Monterey Bay Aquarium that helps consumers and businesses choose seafood that is fished or farmed in ways that don’t harm the environment or deplete stocks.  Their sustainable seafood recommendations come in handy pocket guides and mobile applications that indicate which seafood items are “Best Choices,” “Good Alternatives,” and which ones you should “Avoid.” These can be downloaded from their site, seafoodwatch.org.

Print and carry Seafood Watch's pocket guide to help you choose seafood that doesn't harm the environment or deplete stocks.

The Case for US Shrimp

Imported  wild shrimp is on the “avoid” list at Seafood Watch because shrimp trawl nets accidentally catch and kill more than 1.8 mm tons of marine life worldwide each year. Farmed shrimp is also on the “avoid” list because shrimp farms have destroyed millions of acres of coastal habitat worldwide. What shrimp should we eat? Seafood Watch recommends US shrimp instead because it is caught under tighter US environmental standards. Luckily we are close to Maine and can enjoy the Maine shrimp season, which is nearing its end.

A Seasonal Delicacy

Maine shrimp, a local and sustainable seasonal delicacy, is available at the Norwalk Indoor Farmers' Market from Pemaquid Lobster & Seafood

The supply of Northern or pink shrimp from the Gulf of Maine is so bountiful this year that the Maine State Department of Marine Resources has extended the season to May 1. I bought these yesterday from Pemaquid Seafood, a vendor at the Norwalk Indoor Winter Farmers’ Market at 61 Wall Street, and cooked them briefly in salted boiling water until they turned an opaque pink and the tails curled up. Aren’t they delicious? So sweet and flavorful and available with the head and tail on for maximum flavor, headless, or already peeled. All you need is some bread and a salad from these winter markets and you’ve got a local feast. Availability is subject to Wednesday’s catch so check this website for updates on the catch of the week. www.pemaquidlobster.com. Pemaquid is also in Naugatuck on Fridays at 786 Rubber Ave from 9:30am-5pm. Don’t forget to bring a cooler with ice.

Shop from Retailers Dedicated to Preserving Ocean Health

Target and Whole Foods Market are two retailers who sell sustainable seafood based in part on guidance from the Seafood Watch program. Target has eliminated all farmed salmon from its stores, citing guidance from the Seafood Watch program. This is a huge development from a major retailer, and it means that no farmed salmon will be sold as fresh, frozen or shelf items in any of its more than 1,700 popular stores. Most salmon are farmed in open net pens, and waste from these farms is released directly into the oceans, polluting waters and spreading disease. Seafood watch recommends wild -caught salmon or Artic char instead.

Whole Foods Markets was one of the first American companies to join the Marine Stewardship Council in 1999, a group committed to working together towards the common goal of rebuilding declining seafood populations. In keeping with Whole Foods Market’s continuous efforts towards having fully sustainable seafood for its customers nationwide, they began working with the Seafood Watch and the Blue Ocean Institute to offer consumers a new, progressive Wild-Caught Seafood Ranking System.

Equally importantly, they source their clams, oysters and lobsters from Westport Aquaculture, a 5th generation family-owned shellfish business with over 600 acres of beds in the Western Long Island Sound. You may have heard the term “stewards of the land” in reference to farmers who take good care of the land, well Captain Jeff Northrop in association with Norm Bloom & Sons and Tim Pramer are “Stewards of the Beds”. Instead of carting away the oceans, they are only harvesting what they sow. They seed the beds with baby clams and oysters they purchase, grow them to the size of a quarter in an upweller (ocean incubation tank), and then plant them in their beds to grow and spawn naturally. When they are mature, they are harvested using turn-of-the century refurbished boats in Norwalk and Westport.

Westport Aquaculture sells their catch to Whole Foods Markets in CT and NY plus high-end restaurants looking for super-fresh, sustainable seafood like The Dressing Room in Westport, Match restaurant in Norwalk, La Villa in Westport and Blue Hill and Stone Barns in New York. This is an excellent source for year-round local and sustainable shellfish. Lobsters are caught in traps by the two remaining lobster fishermen in Fairfield County and must adhere to very strict size restrictions. The catch is highly regulated and there is a healthy supply of lobsters . Visit Westport Aquaculture at the Westport and Ridgefield Summer Farmers’ Markets or online at www. Westportaquaculture.com. (Editors Note: The site is temporarily down while undergoing renovation.)

Recycle your #5 containers  at Whole Foods Markets in the Gimme 5 containers located in the café area.

Most eco-conscious consumers have already sworn off bottled water, wouldn’t be caught shopping without a reusable bag, and are in the habit of recycling their metal, plastic and glass containers. But #5 containers, which are used to package foods like yogurt, hummus and cottage cheese, are not recycled by many municipalities.  Whole Foods Markets collects #5 containers in their stores for recycling into new consumer products under their Gimme 5 program. So save your #5 containers and recycle them at the store instead of letting them end up in a landfill. If you don’t live near a Whole Foods Market, you can ship them directly to the recycling center.

For more tips on how to go green in your kitchen, watch the video Green Food Resolutions for the New Year.

The holidays are upon us and there is so much planning and shopping to do for hosting parties and open houses, not to mention attending them. Luckily there’s a wide range of excellent quality (some have won awards!) local and sustainable foods conveniently available at retail that are perfect for your holiday table, a hostess gift, a gift bag for a special friend and even for your little one’s stocking. Have fun shopping!

The Farmer’s Cow has just added heavy cream and half and half to their product line so head to your favorite grocer (Shaw’s, Stop ‘n Shop, Whole Foods Markets and The Fresh Market), and pick some up.  The Farmer’s Cow line includes milk and eggs so you can go local with the dairy for your holiday baking. Butter you ask? Coming soon!

Move over sparkling cider, Twelve is here and it’s my top non-alcoholic pick for serving at adult parties. This all natural, no sugar added, lightly carbonated drink is sophisticated, festive, and food-friendly. Created by the legendary chefs David Burke and Alfred Portale, it is now made by a company headquartered in Fairfield which outsources production to a winery in Ohio. The clever and catchy name is derived from the 12 hours which span the drink’s recommended consumption time – from noon to midnight. The base is white grape juice to which organic teas, herbs, spices and citrus essence is added, along with a light carbonation. Twelve makes a great base for mixed drinks too -try vodka or dark rum. You can find Twelve at Whole Foods Market, Palmer’s Market in Darien, and Balducci’s.

Richard brought in the Willie Bird to make you happy.

The famous all-natural, vegetarian fed, Willie Bird whole smoked turkey, formerly available exclusively through Williams-Sonoma’s catalog, is now available at Palmer’s Market in Darien. You can thank Richard the butcher for bringing in this bird from Sonoma, CA to grace your holiday table. Head to Palmer’s Market at 264 Heights Road in Darien, just off exit 10 on I95 across from the Noroton Heights train station. They also have Lyman Orchard’s Apple Cider, fresh Long Island duck, and wild harvested Mexican white shrimp from the Gulf of Mexico, a sustainably raised and harvested seafood. Available raw with the shell on or peeled and deveined, it’s the perfect sustainable seafood choice for a make ahead appetizer and is now the ONLY shrimp carried by Palmer’s Market in Darien.

photo c/o Wolfe's Neck

Head to Whole Foods Market Westport for some pasture raised, grass-fed beef from family-owned New England farms that’s sold under the Wolfe’s Neck label.  This special program brings together over 150 family-owned farms in NY, NJ, CT, MA, NH, MA, and VT who share Wolfe’s Neck Farm’s dedication to humane and sustainable agriculture. Stop in Whole Foods Market at 399 Post Road West in Westport on Saturday, December 19 from noon until 3 pm to join me for a Free Holiday Roast Tasting and Sustainable Discussion featuring Wolfe’s Neck Natural Beef. The first 20 guests will receive a free holiday gift and they’ll be tips and holiday recipes for the taking! Don’t forget to bring your #5 containers for recycling.

Good things come in small packages. Sankow's Beaver Brook Farm's premium ice cream.

Walter Stewart’s Market at 229 Main Street in New Canaan is an amazing source for many locally produced foods perfect for hosting holiday celebrations or giving as gifts. Don’t let the Elm Street address scare you off; they have plenty of parking in their lot and are down the road from the congested shopping area. Walter Stewart’s is a compelling one-stop holiday shopping destination for award-winning Michelle’s Pies (Norwalk), Blue Jay Orchards‘ Cider Donuts (Bethel), Lyman Orchards’ Apple Cider ( The Gracious Gourmet’s award-winning spreads and tapenades (Bridgewater), El’s Kitchen’s dry rubs (Weston), Sankow’s Beaver Brook Farm’s premium ice cream (Lyme), maple syrup from Lamothe’s Sugar House (Burlington), Hopkins Inn Caesar and House Dressing, and Bear Pond Farm’s (Glastonbury) line of nut-free pestos made with organic basil and non-GMO canola oil. Look for the line of Organic Chocolate Mexicano from the sustainable and socially conscious company Taza Chocolate (MA) near the registers. This stone ground, organic chocolate is the ne plus ultra of authentic Mexican-style chocolates to eat or sip while sitting by the fireplace with a good book or socializing with friends. Don’t forget to ask for a recipe card if you want to make Mexican hot chocolate. Taza Chocolate makes a great stocking stuffer or gift set.

Kallari Single Source USDA Organic Chocolate bars make a fabulous stocking stuffer, hostess gift or finishing touch to a gift bag. Made by a cooperative of 850 indigenous Kichwa farmers in the Ecuadoran Amazon, they are “the only farmers’ cooperative in the world that harvests, markets and enjoys all profits from its own line of organic chocolate” according to The Kallari Story printed inside the box. This is beautiful, elegant, flavorful chocolate devoid of any hard edges or bitter notes. This puzzled me at first, but now I understand why; it’s made from a rare cacao varietal called Cacao Nacional that flourishes in this area and once faced extinction. Perfect for your”green” foodie friends, Kallari is available exclusively at Whole Foods Markets nationwide.

Stop in to the Fairfield Winter Farmers’ Market at the Fairfield Theater Company on Saturdays between 10 and 2 for CT maple syrup, the full line of Beltane Farms artisanal, farmstead goat’s milk cheeses and yogurt, and a wide variety of unusual salad greens and root vegetables from USDA Certified Organic Starlight Gardens. Their reddish-purple dragon carrots are fantastic – stunningly beautiful, tender and sweet. Video from opening day at the farmers’ market is available for viewing on YouTube: Beltane Farms and Starlight Gardens.

The perfect gift for anyone looking for a healthy start to the New Year is a gift certificate to the award-winning organic, vegetarian restaurant Health in a Hurry in Fairfield. Go in with a friend or two for a $50 gift card on special for $42.50. For the cook looking to expand her repertoire, how about a cooking class with chef/owner Sue Cadwell? Starting in January, classes will be held in her kitchen from 6:45-8:45 pm, where a cooking demonstration and light meal is $45 and includes a booklet of notes and recipes. Classes include Winter Soups, Grains & Beans, Gluten Free Cooking, Your Health-Supportive Pantry-How to Get Started, What Is Tempeh Anyway?-Demystifying Soy and Whole Food Meal Planning Made Easy.

For the not-yet-21 reader in your family, how about the Young Reader’s Edition of Michael Pollan’s book “The Omnivore’s Dilemma”? It’s now available for $10 in paperback!

The eco-chic,79 cent, Cheryl Crow-designed bag from Whole Foods Market makes a great gift bag

For the girlfriend who isn’t quite sure how to green her kitchen, I recommend filling a reusable shopping bag with a few green kitchen staples like recycled aluminum foil, bio bags for composting kitchen food, a reusable kitchen cloth (instead of paper towel) and unbleached parchment paper.

Have a wonderful Holiday and a very Happy New Year. May all your foodie wishes come true.