Say what you will about Whole Foods and their exorbitant prices, much of what they sell is pretty high quality. I’m guilty of highly enjoying some of their prepared foods and salad bar on occasion, and really like the locations that offer a large bulk section (Quinoa FTW!!).
However, one thing that has bothered me about Whole Foods for a long time now is their fish counter. Whole Foods has a color-coded chart that depicts how sustainable the fishing methods are for that particular fish. The third color on the list, Red, indicates that the fish in question is in low abundance and not sustainable in the methods for catching said fish. It has bothered me to no end that Whole Foods has had the audacity to show this chart and the sell those fish that are in the red. I actually had a discussion with someone recently about chart, expressing my displeasure. I even joked that they should have the chart for the meat to describe if they have friends and their favorite sports to play, akin to the first episode of Portlandia
Just today I read an article on The Village Voice blog A Fork in the Road that Whole Foods is finally going to stop selling them starting on Earth Day. Per the Associated Press:
Among the seafood disappearing from Whole Foods shelves will be octopus, gray sole, skate, Atlantic halibut and Atlantic cod caught by trawls, which can destroy habitats. The company will stock sustainable replacements like cod caught on lines and halibut from the Pacific.
While prices may increase (if you thought that was possible), this is definitely a step in the right direction. Many restaurants in NYC and around the country pride themselves on only serving sustainable fish and meat that is farm raised and not pumped up full of hormones and other harmful chemicals. I can now finally stop complaining about the Whole Foods bogus rating system.
