WHOLE FOODS UPDATES ANNUAL MSC SALMON PROMOTION

KAITLEN J. EXUM

AUSTIN, Texas -- Whole Foods Market hopes to educate customers about the importance of sustainable seafood as part of a monthlong promotion of wild Alaska salmon.

The "Fish for Our Future" campaign -- developed in conjunction with the Seattle-based Marine Stewardship Council, the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute, Juneau, Alaska, the World Wildlife Fund and Chefs Collaborative -- began this week and will run through the end of July. During the month, Whole Foods stores are featuring in-store demonstrations, educational brochures and salmon recipes, as well as fresh salmon in their seafood cases and prepared meals.

This is the second time Whole Foods is promoting the species since the MSC certified wild Alaskan salmon as a sustainable fishery two years ago. All of Whole Foods' 134 locations in the United States and Canada are scheduled to participate. This year's campaign is similar to last year's event, but the 2002 program was expanded to include more educational material and additional cooking demonstrations featuring celebrity chefs, according to organizers.

Although individual stores are allowed some flexibility in their events, all stores are displaying signage in the seafood area directing consumers to the MSC-certified salmon. The campaign is designed to "educate the consumer about what's behind the MSC label," according to Karen Tarica, U.S. communications director at MSC. "It encourages people to find out more about the seafood choices they're making [because they] need to know that their choices make a difference in the way our resources are managed."

Kate Lowery, spokeswoman for Whole Foods, agreed, saying that the goal of the promotion is to impress upon customers "that they have the buying power to make a difference in keeping marine stocks plentiful, keeping the environment intact and keeping the family/small fisherman in business."

Although other fisheries such as Western Australian rock lobster and Thames herring are MSC-certified, Tarica called Alaskan salmon "the perfect poster child" for the promotion due to its appeal, reasonable cost and widespread availability in the United States. Still, future promotions might highlight the other fisheries, Tarica noted.