As predicted, Greenpeace’s ranking of grocers’ seafood sustainability practices don’t measure anything except compliance with Greenpeace’s own extremist agenda.
Where is the science? There is none. The survey is based on loaded questions and answers like “Do you encourage consumers to write articles, Letters to the Editor, opinion pieces, etc. . . . to advocate for improved sustainability and reduced fishing pressure . . .?” And “Do your seafood suppliers refuse to buy seafood from operators on the Greenpeace blacklist?” The message was bluntly clear: If you don’t get with the Greenpeace program you can expect a failing grade on the survey.
And what is the methodology behind the rankings? How are the responses calculated, weighted and trended year after year? We don’t know because Greenpeace won’t disclose its methodology. If we were to hazard a guess, we’d say the results are whatever Greenpeace wants the results to be.
The fact is Greenpeace simply made up its survey and published its predetermined results not with a stack of data but with a press release, confident that some in the media will still treat Greenpeace with wholly undeserved deference.
But Greenpeace is a “multi-issue extremist” organization with no authority or insight to offer on seafood sustainability, supermarket operations, or retail consumer behavior. Its unscientific rankings ignore globally recognized sustainability organizations, standards and certifications including the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and the International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF). For example the rankings give stores lower scores for carrying fish that Greenpeace has decided are at risk, regardless of responsible management or internationally recognized certifications.
The Greenpeace ranking of grocers’ seafood sustainability policies and practices is a PR gimmick. It’s a stunt devised to give Greenpeace the appearance of authenticity, when in fact it’s just a platform for the group to alarm consumers, create fear about negative publicity for grocers and fundraise. Rather than working with the seafood community to develop real solutions, Greenpeace bullies companies while soliciting donations to fill its coffers.
The “rank and spank” survey tactic is getting a bit old and we suspect few grownup journalists will take it seriously. . But the bottom line is that consumers — juggling a job, a family and a budget — have better things to worry about than what Greenpeace thinks is the most obedient supermarket chain. Here’s hoping they printed their report on recyclable paper.
