Attention Seafood Lover: Beware of "Traitor" Joe's
In a recent Greenpeace survey of the environmental friendliness of leading U.S. seafood retailers, Trader Joe’s was “the worst performing national seafood retailer” on the list. Each retailer was ranked in four categories; Trader Joe’s score card is abysmal:
| Policy - 0 | “Trader Joe’s does not have a sustainable seafood policy.” |
| Initiatives - 0 | “Trader Joe’s is not affiliated with retailer groups, fishing industry groups, seafood companies, third-party auditors, or environmental conservation organizations working on seafood sustainability.” |
| Labeling - 5 | “Trader Joe’s does not label seafood products so consumers can avoid purchasing destructively fished species, and does not promote sustainable seafood to customers.” |
| Red list sales - 15 | “Greenpeace surveys found Trader Joe’s sells 15 of the 22 red list seafoods.” |
In response to Trader Joe’s apparent rejection of seafood sustainability efforts, Greenpeace is protesting against the store and has created a (rather obnoxious) spoof website: Traitor Joe’s.
I imagine that this is a minor issue among students—I can’t remember the last time I bought seafood at a supermarket—but if Trader Joe’s is so irresponsible with seafood, I can’t help but wonder how much they greenwash everything else. What do you think?
