A to Z Challenge: Sustainable Canned Tuna
Apr. 22nd, 2015 03:30 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
livingdebOnce I read that some fishing is done by dragging nets across the ocean floor disrupting everything. So I started making the switch to fried fish labeled with the Marine Stewardship Council seal.
But I've been looking at cans of tuna fish and not finding that label. There were other labels, so research was in order.
Dolphin-safe - does not use a method that inadvertently harms dolphins, but may inadvertently harm other sea life; there is some controversy that this label might not even mean as much as it implies.
Pole-and-line caught (aka pole caught) - has minimal impacts on other sea life.
Troll caught - also has minimal impacts on other sea life. And makes me think of trolls.
Greenpeace ranks brands. They like Wild Planet best (all that company's products are pole-and-line or troll caught plus they don't source tuna from proposed ocean sanctuaries). Second, they like American Tuna (which are pole-caught plus they support small-scale fishers and canneries). Third is Ocean Naturals, which also sounds good. However, I'm not sure I have access to any of those.
Some that I do know I have access to are fairly high on the list. Fourth is Whole Foods 365 brand, which is good except that they may be too trusting of their suppliers. Ninth-rated Simply Balanced from Target sounds similar (but not their Market Pantry brand). Sixth is Trader Joe's Skipjack tuna ($1.49), which is responsibly caught but may come from suppliers with human rights violations.
I also have access to Natural Sea ($2.49 (on sale?) at Wheatsville) which is not on the list but is labeled as Earth Island Institute-certified Ocean Friendly; I can't figure out what that means. It's also dolphin safe and the can has no BPA.
And I have access to Natural Value ($1.99 at Wheatsville), also not on the list. It's labeled as wild caught, dolphin safe, and having a BPA-free lining.
Here's how the Good Guide ranks the items I have access to above:
* Simply Balanced (Target) wild skipjack - 7.2 overall, 10 health, 5.9 environment, 5.8 society
* Natural Value Yellowfin Tuna - 5.7 overall, 6.0 health, 6.2 environment, 4.9 society
* Trader Joe's - not on list
* Whole Foods - not on list
* Natural Sea - not on list
I have the three with prices at home and thus can also compare the nutrition numbers.
First, they are all five-ounce cans; the Trader Joe's and Natural Value are also labeled as having a dry weight of four ounces. Interesting! I'd been noticing that my other tuna brands have been including less fish but still calling it five ounces, so I've been comparing protein to try to guess how much tuna fish is really in there. I suspect the dry weight is as little as 2.5 ounces for some of them. (I opened the Natural Sea can today, and it definitely has a reasonable amount of tuna inside.)
Protein
* Natural Sea - 15 g
* Trader Joe - 14 g
* Natural Value - 13 g
Otherwise, the nutrition seems to match.
Of course PETA recommends eating vegetarian fake tuna.
I may have to ask around at Wheatsville to see why they picked those brands to stock. Otherwise, it's interesting to know I may have a good option at Target, which is walking distance from me.
Otherwise, I've decided that pole and line caught (or troll caught) is good enough but dolphin friendly is not. (This is just for stuff I'm buying from grocery stores. I will still happily eat tasty things that are served to me at restaurants and by friends.)
But I've been looking at cans of tuna fish and not finding that label. There were other labels, so research was in order.
Dolphin-safe - does not use a method that inadvertently harms dolphins, but may inadvertently harm other sea life; there is some controversy that this label might not even mean as much as it implies.
Pole-and-line caught (aka pole caught) - has minimal impacts on other sea life.
Troll caught - also has minimal impacts on other sea life. And makes me think of trolls.
Greenpeace ranks brands. They like Wild Planet best (all that company's products are pole-and-line or troll caught plus they don't source tuna from proposed ocean sanctuaries). Second, they like American Tuna (which are pole-caught plus they support small-scale fishers and canneries). Third is Ocean Naturals, which also sounds good. However, I'm not sure I have access to any of those.
Some that I do know I have access to are fairly high on the list. Fourth is Whole Foods 365 brand, which is good except that they may be too trusting of their suppliers. Ninth-rated Simply Balanced from Target sounds similar (but not their Market Pantry brand). Sixth is Trader Joe's Skipjack tuna ($1.49), which is responsibly caught but may come from suppliers with human rights violations.
I also have access to Natural Sea ($2.49 (on sale?) at Wheatsville) which is not on the list but is labeled as Earth Island Institute-certified Ocean Friendly; I can't figure out what that means. It's also dolphin safe and the can has no BPA.
And I have access to Natural Value ($1.99 at Wheatsville), also not on the list. It's labeled as wild caught, dolphin safe, and having a BPA-free lining.
Here's how the Good Guide ranks the items I have access to above:
* Simply Balanced (Target) wild skipjack - 7.2 overall, 10 health, 5.9 environment, 5.8 society
* Natural Value Yellowfin Tuna - 5.7 overall, 6.0 health, 6.2 environment, 4.9 society
* Trader Joe's - not on list
* Whole Foods - not on list
* Natural Sea - not on list
I have the three with prices at home and thus can also compare the nutrition numbers.
First, they are all five-ounce cans; the Trader Joe's and Natural Value are also labeled as having a dry weight of four ounces. Interesting! I'd been noticing that my other tuna brands have been including less fish but still calling it five ounces, so I've been comparing protein to try to guess how much tuna fish is really in there. I suspect the dry weight is as little as 2.5 ounces for some of them. (I opened the Natural Sea can today, and it definitely has a reasonable amount of tuna inside.)
Protein
* Natural Sea - 15 g
* Trader Joe - 14 g
* Natural Value - 13 g
Otherwise, the nutrition seems to match.
Of course PETA recommends eating vegetarian fake tuna.
I may have to ask around at Wheatsville to see why they picked those brands to stock. Otherwise, it's interesting to know I may have a good option at Target, which is walking distance from me.
Otherwise, I've decided that pole and line caught (or troll caught) is good enough but dolphin friendly is not. (This is just for stuff I'm buying from grocery stores. I will still happily eat tasty things that are served to me at restaurants and by friends.)
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no subject
on 2015-04-24 01:56 am (UTC)But I'll have to look for some of these brands and see if they're possible for me or not.
-Cat
no subject
on 2015-04-24 01:17 pm (UTC)In my case, this is the year I've decided to stop caring about cost as far as food goes (though it's easier said than done), up to a maximum of spending twice as much as I used to. It does cost a lot more to grow food humanely. But it shouldn't cost a lot more to keep the celery out!
You might also look into brands that are packed in oil. Some are even packed in olive oil. Nowadays we at least know that those extra calories aren't completely empty, but do have health benefits.
I also prefer the kind packed in water, but I do have one recipe for tuna patties where I could use the oil for the frying instead of just draining it like I do with the water. I'm not sure how many other uses there are for tuna-laced oil!