Tag Archives: Pew Charitable Trusts

1/20/11 Nourishing News Roundup

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Wal-Mart’s Healthy Food Pledge

This week, the retail giant unveiled a five-year healthy food initiative. Programs include eliminating trans-fats from all packaged foods sold in its stores; reducing added sugars by 10% and sodium by 25%; making healthy foods more affordable and easier to identify; and building new stores in food deserts. That’s big news–so big that first lady Michelle Obama was on hand at the press conference. Groceries now account for more than half of Wal-Mart’s annual sales, or a whopping $258.2 billion, so whether you love Wal-Mart or hate it, wherever it goes, others are sure to follow. If Wal-Mart demands that a manufacturer reformulate a product in order to keep it on the store’s shelves, believe me, it’ll happen.

Lia’s Nourishing Story

Lia is one of the most energetic people I know, so you can bet I was shocked to learn she has fibromyalgia, a condition marked by fatigue and chronic pain. Learn how a nourishing diet transformed her life and helped her thrive. Lifescript.com

Fish Tales

The Marine Stewardship Council may be based in London, but it’s the best-known and largest certifier of sustainable seafood in the world, and chances are you see its familiar blue logo on seafood sold at Wal-Mart, Whole Foods and other retailers. The UK’s Guardian newspaper details concerns by Greenpeace and other organizations that the MSC’s certification program is more about brand-building than saving the fish. And Greenpeace isn’t alone its concerns. Here in the States, the Pew Charitable Trusts also questions the MSC’s standards.

In other seafood sustainability news, Scientific American reports on a new aquaculture operation that farms salmon on enclosed freshwater tanks. The Monterey Bay Aquarium approves, giving the fish a place on its new SeafoodWatch Super Green List.

Eat Fish, Stay Smart

Researchers find a fish- and vegetable-rich traditional Mediterranean diet may help keep your mind sharp in your golden years. That’s great news, but will it put more pressure on the world’s stressed fish stocks? American Journal of Clinical Nutrition

Whole Grain Confusion

A new survey by General Mills finds most Americans think they’re eating enough whole grains, yet only 5% of us actually consume the recommended three servings a day. Why? Most people are still confused about what constitutes a whole grain. For a refresher, check out Lia’s primer, “Know Your White From Your Wheat.”

Progress for Sustainable Fish!

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We’ve talked a lot about the aquaculture, from the need for sustainable aquaculture to feed the world’s growing appetite for seafood to how you, as a consumer, can identify responsibly farmed fish at the market.

Part of the challenge, of course, is that all fish farming isn’t created equal. On the good-news front, yesterday the Pew Charitable Trusts announced the development of a new Global Aquaculture Performance Index (GAPI). Developed by a team of experts at Canada’s University of Victoria, collaborating with Pew Environmental Group’s Aquaculture Standards Project, GAPI offers measures to quantify the environmental impact of finfish farming, such as the use of antibiotics, the sustainability of the fish feed, and discharge of water pollutants.

The index focuses on finfish because large-scale farming of salmon, cod and the like has the greatest effect on the environment. “Large-scale farming of salmon, for example, even under even the best current practices creates large-scale problems,” says Dr. John Volpe of the University of Victoria.

GAPI can be used to evaluate the environmental sustainability of aquaculture anywhere in the world. It can be used to assess individual operations, the overall performance of different species, or national aquaculture industries. Volpe notes that GAPI can be particularly useful in Asia, which has the fastest-growing aquaculture industry but a lagging environmental record. But even the most responsible operations have room for improvement, he adds.

Ultimately, GAPI can help improve the worldwide standards for aquaculture, says Chris Mann, senior officer and director of the Pew Environment Group’s Aquaculture Standards Project. Governments can use it to shape regulations for aquaculture, while fish farmers can use it to create environmentally responsible operations. It’s possible that one day farmed fish will carry a GAPI score on labels (the higher the score, the better the environmental performance), which consumers can use to identify the most sustainable options.