What is sustainable seafood and how to get it
Nowadays, people have become more and more concerned about the food they consume. The awareness about good food is increasing day by day.
Organic food, which is produced by organic farming, is considered to have numerous benefits to our health and body. Instead of grabbing whatever product you find first, you need to be careful and check the labels on the packaging. If you are not aware of the sustainable label on seafood, this article will be of help to you.
So, what does sustainable seafood mean? Seafood sustainability considers a long-term vitality of harvested species and welfare of the oceans. In simple terms, seafood is considered sustainable, when the cultivation methods do not deplete stocks beyond their ability to reproduce and maintain population levels and no environmental damage is associated in harvesting the food.
USA and many other countries have high influence on seafood sustainability. An act was passed in the USA, principally to address heavy foreign fishing and promote domestic fishing fleet. The movement for healthy organic food is growing significantly in other countries as well.
Apart from raw seafood available in packaged versions, restaurants are also featuring sustainable seafood in many ways.
Seafood sustainability has become an important topic for overfishing practices and environmental pollution. Marine environment is under pressure; hence fisheries are advised to stabilize the environment pollution with responsible management and regulations in place. Unfortunately, most seafood we consume is obtained by irresponsible fishing practices.
So, ecolabeling and awareness campaigns are initiated and driven by social media and other channels. Ecolabeling program evaluates production process with some set environmental standards. It fulfills certain requirements, where the producer or marketer may purchase the license to use the ecolabel in the products for marketing. Nowadays, more companies are choosing environment-friendly seafood production and marketing. Awareness campaigns mainly focus on education and encouraging public to purchase sustainable products.
Check the packaging of the product to identify healthy and sustainable products. People living near the coastal areas have access to the local fish markets and buy fresh seafood, but in non-coastal areas, sometimes the only options may be packaged or frozen seafood.
We all want to enjoy our seafood and want it to be fresh and healthy. You have chosen to eat at a restaurant and are curious about where they get their ingredients? In that case, you can always ask the staff at the restaurant to know more about their food. Many seafood restaurants and chefs create a special menu made up of sustainable ingredients. The seafood Choice Alliance program has been developed to educate chefs about the choices to offer sustainable menu. You can always step in such restaurants and enjoy a healthy meal.
