Farmed Salmon Purchasing Policy

Frequently Asked Questions

Posted: 13-Mar-2006; Updated: 20-Jun-2007

What companies have adopted the new farmed salmon purchasing policy?

Wegmans Food Markets, one of the country’s most successful and innovative food retailers, and Bon Appétit Management Company, a leading on-site restaurant company serving corporations and universities in more than 190 U.S. sites, have adopted a new purchasing policy to provide their customers with farmed salmon that meets tough health and environmental standards. This policy includes standards for production of farmed salmon.

What role did Environmental Defense play in developing the new farmed salmon policy?

Environmental Defense brought the parties together and brokered the agreement, helping Wegmans and Bon Appétit set aggressive yet feasible goals for improving salmon farming while ensuring that suppliers’ operational concerns were met. 

Why are the standards in the policy important?

The standards are the first to address all of the most pressing health and environmental impacts of salmon farming. Among other changes, the standards require producers to meet stringent health standards for PCBs and other contaminants in salmon, take unprecedented steps to reduce farms’ potential impacts on wild salmon populations, use innovative production systems that do not discharge chemicals and metals into the ocean, and reduce their dependence on wild-caught fish for salmon feed.   

Under the standards, suppliers must take steps to reduce the ecological impacts of salmon farming on marine life and ecosystems, such as integrating the farming of salmon and mollusks to recycle fish wastes and cut water pollution and marking all fish so that suppliers are held accountable for any escapes. The policy requires suppliers to immediately meet at least five of the eight purchasing standards, and includes a timeline with strict deadlines for suppliers to achieve all the standards. The policy also provides an incentive for continued innovation in the salmon farming industry to further reduce environmental impacts. 

Does the policy require the suppliers to make specific changes in their operations? 

Although the policy sets tough and specific environmental performance targets and deadlines, it gives the companies the flexibility to find the most innovative and efficient way to get there. (For details, see the purchasing policy, in either the consumer-friendly version or technical version[PDF].)

How will these changes reduce major environmental problems that result from large-scale salmon farming? 

The changes required by the new standards are designed to reduce major environmental problems associated with salmon farming, including:

• Reducing use of wild fish products in salmon feeds to about half the industry average levels used in conventional salmon farming, lessening the demand farming operations place on wild fish stocks;
  
• Reducing nutrient pollution from salmon farms by at least one-third;
  
• Meeting tough standards for the levels of PCBs and other contaminants in farmed fish; and
  
• Requiring new techniques to minimize salmon escapes from farms, the potential disease spread from farmed to wild fish, and any resulting ecological impacts.

This collaborative project took on all these issues, setting aggressive performance targets for suppliers in each area, and requiring regular reporting and third-party verification of progress toward these goals.  

Why are concerns mounting over the healthfulness and environmental impacts of farmed salmon?

Salmon farming has grown explosively over the last 20 years, from about 36,500 metric tons in 1983 to nearly 1.5 million metric tons in 2003 (source: UNFAO). This dramatic jump in world farmed salmon production since the late 1980s has raised concerns about the industry’s environmental impacts.

In recent years, the salmon farming industry has been surrounded by controversy as researchers reported that some farmed salmon contains relatively high levels of PCBs and other contaminants. Public concerns have also risen about the industry’s impact on wild salmon populations and marine ecosystems, for example, through the potential spread of disease, use of drugs and other chemicals, and release of untreated wastes into coastal waters. 

What is the basis for the health standard? Why does the new standard use EPA rather than FDA methodology? Isn't the FDA in charge of monitoring the nation's seafood supply?

Environmental Defense surveyed the various federal and international bodies, including the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the World Health Organization that have developed criteria for fish consumption based on contaminant levels.  The purchasing standards require suppliers to meet the most stringent criteria currently on the books, which for PCBs and mercury are those established by EPA.
 
From a regulatory standpoint, farmed salmon sold in the U.S. are not required to meet EPA criteria, but rather those established by the FDA. The FDA's approach is based on relatively old science and balances consumer health risks from seafood contaminants with potential economic impacts to the seafood industry. In addition, the FDA's only consumer seafood advisory is for methylmercury and ignores the risks associated with other seafood pollutants (e.g. PCBs).  On the other hand, the EPA's risk-assessment approach is based solely on human health, and stems from more recent and rigorously reviewed science. 

How big an impact will the purchasing policy have on the farmed salmon industry? 

Approximately 6 million pounds of salmon will be produced under the policy standards this year, with a potential for significant increases in future years as more Atlantic salmon is produced under the policy. 

But over time we expect the changes in the industry to be much larger, raising the bar for aquaculture operations around the world.  In adopting the standards, Wegmans and Bon Appétit, both leaders in the industry, are setting a powerful example for other purchasers. 

Does this purchase policy resolve the environmental concerns around salmon farming?

While adoption of this purchase policy is a major step forward, it does not resolve all the concerns about salmon farming. The policy includes provisions that both require and encourage the industry to continue to improve its environmental performance.  Accordingly, salmon produced under this policy will not be listed as an "Eco-Best" or “Best Choice” for consumers by Environmental Defense or the Monterey Bay Aquarium, but rather identified as a better choice than typical farmed salmon -- a significant first step.

The purchasing policy includes strong incentives for producers to go beyond the standards and pursue innovative technologies, such as "closed containment" production systems, that move the industry further toward environmental sustainability.  Both Environmental Defense and the Monterey Bay Aquarium hope that continued environmental improvements in salmon farming will soon result in the production of "Eco-Best" or "Best Choice" farmed salmon.

How will the farmed salmon bought by Bon Appétit and Wegmans differ from salmon on the market now?

Most salmon sold in supermarkets and restaurants is farmed Atlantic salmon. Some chinook, or king, salmon is also farmed. Wild Atlantic salmon is endangered in the U.S and cannot be caught commercially. Salmon farming may pose environmental and health risks, including water pollution, chemical use, parasites and disease, and in some cases higher levels of PCBs and dioxins than wild fish.

The purchasing policy includes standards to reduce ecological harm to wild fish and other marine life, cut waste and chemical pollution, and set stringent criteria for contaminants in salmon. Importantly, salmon produced in accordance with these standards should not cost significantly more than conventionally farmed salmon.

Wild salmon from Alaska is also available in supermarkets and restaurants, especially when it’s in season. It may be labeled as wild, Alaskan, or one of five Pacific salmon species: chinook/king, coho/silver, chum/silverbrite, pink and sockeye. Alaskan salmon is always wild (since there are no salmon farms in Alaska), comes from well-managed fisheries and is relatively low in contaminants. Wild Alaskan salmon is an Eco-Best choice on Environmental Defense’s “Seafood Selector,” and some prefer its flavor and texture over the milder farmed salmon.

When will salmon produced in accordance with these standards be available in Wegmans stores and in Bon Appetit food service outlets?

Farmed king salmon porduced under the new purchasing policy is now arriving in Wegmans stores. The retailer will work with all its farm-raised fish suppliers toward meeting these standards for other salmon species.  Bon Appétit will continue to preferentially purchase wild salmon, but, pending product testing, will over the next year give its chefs the option of purchasing farmed king under the new standards.