« July 2008 Table of Contents 
Editor's Note: PR scorecard: Greenpeace 1, industry 1
By Fiona Robinson, Editor in Chief
July 01, 2008
Greenpeace never does anything quietly, so it was no
surprise when the group's report on sustainable seafood
programs at U.S. supermarkets was debuted with lots of advance
buzz in mid-June. The activist NGO (non-governmental
organization) played its cards right by alerting the industry
when the report would be out. By the time "Carting Away the
Oceans: How Grocery Stores are Emptying the Seas" was unveiled
at the Food Marketing Institute's Sustainability Summit in
Minneapolis, most large retailers and their seafood suppliers
knew about it already. In this PR game, the industry and
Greenpeace are tied at 1 point apiece.
Score 1 point for the National Fisheries Institute, which
appropriately alerted its membership that the list was coming
out and offered good pointers on how to deal with Greenpeace
and any negative feedback from retail customers about the
campaign.
While some will say this is pandering to what has been
called an eco-terrorist group, score 1 point for Greenpeace for
bringing retail sustainability programs to the forefront. Some
retailers may not move forward on developing a sustainable
seafood program, or even publicizing one that may already
exist, unless they're held accountable. Several large
foodservice companies have unveiled purchasing programs geared
toward sustainable seafood, but where have the large
supermarket chains been? Aside from Wal-Mart, the retail arena
has remained relatively quiet on the topic. If that job of
accountability has to be at least started by Greenpeace, so be
it.
Having said this, I do not agree with Greenpeace's alarmist
tactics that endanger the lives of others. Releasing a report
or handcuffing yourself to a booth at a seafood trade show may
garner momentary attention, but it's not a long-term solution
to a debate that's constantly evolving.
Developing a sustainable seafood program is a work in
progress that can't accurately be summed up
by a Greenpeace
"red list." Retailers who have started down the path to
defining what sustainability means to their company and their
seafood department have a story to tell. But for those who
haven't, let the Greenpeace report be a gentle nudge in the
right direction. The PR game may be tied, but sustainability is
not a sport. It should be a process driven by an internal
demand to ensure a seafood supply for the future.