Growers and Grocers

Megacorporation Wal-Mart has announced that all their wild-caught fish will conform to the Marine Stewardship Council’s guidelines for sustainable fishing.

Seems good, right? Big producer effecting change by demanding sustainable fishing practices? But if you’ve seen Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price, or read Reclaim Democracy’s report on Wal-Mart’s farmed salmon, you’re probably skeptical of their good intentions.

And Philip Steinberg’s analysis of the MSC’s politics doesn’t help. Steinberg points out numerous flaws with the MSC structure, such as the fact that it allows decision-makers up and down the chain to exclude sellers and drive them out of the market. Given that Wal-Mart demands (and gets) the lowest possible prices by threatening to stop buying from a producer, it’s not hard to see how that could be problematic. And, oh look, the MSC can take private donations. The MSC tries to balance corporate and public interests, but it’s clear that Wal-Mart wants to control the organization and the definition of sustainability to its own advantage.

And do you think worldwide fisheries will benefit from their definition? No, neither do I.

Haddock offers his own expertise, based on a historical knowledge and a viewpoint from the Seafood Summit 2006.