Love Tuna? Make Sure It is Ethical and Sustainable

I grew up eating tuna. My mom’s tuna and egg salad is now a comfort food for me and I feel like I am channeling her whenever I make it for my own kids. Of course back then we didn’t think much, or at all, about where the tuna in the cans came from. We didn’t think about overfishing and responsible fishery that did not result in the deaths of other marine animals, like dolphins. We did not think about mercury content or fish farms where the fish are given genetically modified feed. In many ways I envy my mom that she did not have to analyze  and agonize over simple consumer decisions like which can of tuna to buy.

On the other hand though, I am happy that I can choose to educate myself about my consumer purchases and make better choices. I can make choices that will better protect my health and better protect the health of our planet…all by being selective about what I put in my shopping cart. It can actually feel empowering to know that you are voting for the world you want with your shopping dollars. You can choose to support sustainability. My mom’s generation was blissfully blind in many ways but we have more information at at our fingertips. We can take charge and make better decisions because we are armed with knowledge. That is pretty powerful.

These days when I want to purchase tuna I can make sure that it is from a brand that has ethics more in line with my own. With all the health concerns and planetary concerns surrounding seafood I admit it is not something that I purchase with as much frequency as my mom did, but the seafood (and tuna) I do buy, is purchased with more intentionality and care.

One of those better brand is  Wild Selections® Solid White Albacore Tuna. It is on my approved list because they want to ensure a fish-full future like I do. They seem to be one of the few brands that sees this as good business, which is amazing to me. Wild Selections gives back to the oceans by donating 13 cents from every can sold—a total of $1 million by 2018—to World Wildlife Fund marine conservation and fishery improvement projects. They are the only full line of Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certified sustainable seafood.  The blue MSC eco-label tells you the fish in your can comes from well managed fisheries and healthy fish stocks. And this is pretty nifty… their sustainably sourced fish is 100% traceable; visit WildSelections.com to learn where the fish in your can was caught.

I love the infographic below that outlines why choices such as this are so important in the grand scheme of things. I enjoy seafood and want to enjoy it for years to come. I am sure future generations also want seafood to be available. That requires making better decisions NOW. 25% of the world’s fish stocks are exploited and depleted. 50% of fisheries at at their sustainable limit. Yet Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) fisheries are seeing an average of 46% increase over ten years when it comes to fish abundance. Their efforts are making a difference.

And of course the tuna is premium quality, tasty, and Non-GMO Project verified for moms who are trying to avoid GMO ingredients and GMO fed meat products. My mom’s tuna egg salad has been on the menu a couple times in recent weeks, much to everyone’s delight. And when I am in the mood for bread nothing beats a tuna sandwich with mayo and tomato. Simple, easy, delicious, and it screams summertime. I love eating it straight out of the can too. But I digress, if you want to find a store near you that carries this line visit the store locator. I have used it myself so that I avoid making pointless trips.

If you enjoy eating tuna then I suggest Wild Selections as a more sustainable choice. Enjoy!