SIGNS ALERT CONSUMERS TO FARMED SALMON COLOR

Roseanne Harper

BOISE, Idaho -- In response to a lawsuit brought on behalf of consumers, Albertsons has placed signs in more than a thousand stores across the country to alert its customers that its farm-raised salmon contains added color.

The signs, which say "Farm-Raised Salmon, Color Added" in letters about a half-inch high, are set in three locations in each store -- in the service and self-service seafood cases and in the frozen food case where it's applicable, officials said. The action was the result of a suit against Albertsons, Kroger Co., and Safeway, brought by a Seattle law firm that maintained the retailers deceived consumers by failing to inform them the red color of farm-raised salmon comes from agents added to the salmon's food [see "Kroger to Start Labeling Select Farm-Raised Seafood," SN, May 5, 2003].

Acting quickly, Albertsons, with 1,585 stores operating under several banners -- including Acme and Jewel-Osco -- directed its stores nearly two weeks ago to put up temporary signs and indicated more durable signage would follow, said Karianne Cole, an Albertsons spokeswoman.

"We're making the arrangements to put that signage in our stores in the interest of fully informing our customers about the food we offer for sale," Cole said.

Sources told SN similar signs have gone up in some Kroger units. (Kroger and Safeway did not return SN's phone calls.) All three chains have pledged to inform customers of the added color, but that's not the end of it, said Knoll Lowney, a partner in the law firm that brought the suit.

"The suits will continue even if they begin labeling because we're also seeking damages for past unfair practices. We're claiming consumers were damaged because if they had known there was artificial coloring in this product, many would not have bought the product or would not have paid the money they did," Lowney said, adding that some may have thought they were buying wild salmon.

In all fairness, most other chains do not indicate to consumers that their farm-raised salmon have color added. In a spot check of supermarket units in New York and suburbs north of the city, SN found no such notation in either service or self-service seafood cases.

Calling attention to the added color is not expected to affect sales at Albertsons, Cole said, and other sources echoed that sentiment.

"A lot of industry experts are predicting that because consumers are accustomed to having colorings in their foods, it probably won't have a significant effect on salmon sales at the retail level," said Linda Candler, vice president, communications, National Fisheries Institute, Arlington, Va. "I don't think there are great numbers of consumers who are concerned."