Whole Foods launches Responsibly Farmed mollusk standards

Whole Foods Market on Thursday launched comprehensive standards for farmed bivalve mollusks (oysters, mussels, clams and scallops) that will be sold in its stores.

The Responsibly Farmed logo will signify that each product has been audited by a third party to ensure that environmental impacts (prohibiting pesticides, monitoring water quality, protection of the coastal environment, evaluation of sediments on the seafloor) have been limited.

“As mollusks are becoming more popular and the seafood market more global, it’s increasingly important that our shoppers have responsibly sourced options they can trust,” said Carrie Brownstein, global quality standards coordinator for seafood and the creator of these standards. “With Whole Foods Market’s farmed and wild-caught seafood standards in place, and third-party audits of farms, we’re doing the homework for our customers. They can rest easy knowing that any seafood choice they make in our stores is a conscious one.”

The new standards were developed following several years of research and collaboration with top scientists and progressive mollusk farmers. Like all of Whole Foods Market’s standards for farmed seafood, this multi-stakeholder approach ensures that the standards address all the important issues in mollusk production, set a high bar for environmentally responsible aquaculture, and are practical to implement on farms.

The mollusk standards complement other seafood options that carry the Responsibly Farmed label at Whole Foods, which introduced its standards for farmed salmon in 2007, and released aquaculture standards for all finfish and shrimp in 2008.

Nationwide, Whole Foods Market has seen more than a 10 percent increase in oyster sales alone over the past two years, and expects Valentine’s Day to be the biggest oyster sales day of the year. As consumer interest continues to grow, the impact of buying responsibly sourced mollusks and other seafood becomes more important.

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