For the past two years my organization has been working with supermarkets around the country to get them to post FDA warnings about mercury in seafood.
The FDA warns women of childbearing age (including pregnant and nursing women) and young children to avoid eating any swordfish, tilefish, shark, or king mackerel, and to limit their consumption of albacore tuna and tuna steaks. One store we’ve focused on, along with Women’s Voices for the Earth in Missoula, is Albertsons.
Today, I’m happy to report that Albertsons and its subsidiaries Acme, Jewel-Osco, Shaw’s, and Star Market will be posting that much-needed advice at their seafood counters.
I’d like to give Albertsons kudos for joining the “Green List” and bringing this information to consumers at 1,084 grocery stores around the country. Albertsons has run ads in the past featuring Patricia Heaton, better known as the mom on Everybody Loves Raymond. These ads claim that Albertsons helps consumers make smart decisions for their families. This week’s announcement proves that — at the very least — Albertsons helps consumers make smart decisions about what seafood to buy. Who knew there could be truth in advertising?
There is still more work to do, as some Albertsons stores purchased by a company named Cerberus will still not be posting signs like their west coast cousins. You can help change that by telling your grocer.
In the meantime, I know where I’m going to be doing my Thanksgiving grocery shopping! At Albertsons and other Green List stores. If you want to make smart decisions for your family, see Vital Signs, a new report showing where consumers have the best chance of getting the information they need, state by state.
