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How to Make Responsible Seafood Choices

Did you know October is National Seafood Month? Here’s how you can help support and celebrate marine life—and the planet as a whole.

There’s no better time to focus on making seafood choices that protect our oceans and help support our own healthy lifestyles. At Chicken of the Sea, responsible sourcing is at the heart of everything we do, from our fishing practices to our SeaChange® global sustainability initiative. So in honor of our fish friends this month, let’s take a closer look at the ways we can all help keep our planet and our oceans healthy.

GO PESCATARIAN WITH THESE SUSTAINABLE (AND DELICIOUS!) RECIPES

A pescatarian diet that revolves around sustainably caught seafood is ethical, healthy and delicious. Compared to other omnivore diets, pescatarian diets typically require less water and land usage, and produce lower greenhouse gas emissions. All of our wild caught seafood is sourced through responsible fishing practices that minimize impact on our marine resources. Try these easy seafood recipes to reinvigorate your meal planning this fall.

HOW TO MAKE ECO-CONSCIOUS FOOD CHOICES

In addition to cooking with responsibly sourced seafood, there are other ways to make planet-positive choices in your cooking and food shopping. Keep these tips in mind when you’re planning your seafood meals.

  • Skip the single-use plastic bags: Ocean plastics are one of the biggest environmental issues for marine life. Instead of single-use plastic bags for groceries, opt for reusable cloth bags, recyclable paper bags, or compostable bags for produce.
  • Buy local and organic produce: Support your local organic farms and farmers markets whenever you can. Any fruits and vegetables you buy won’t have the carbon footprint that comes along with transporting food long distances—but more importantly, organic and regenerative foods have a host of benefits like helping to build soil health, protecting  animal health, and supporting fair working conditionsPlus, buying locally supports your community’s local economy!
  • Buy seasonal: This goes hand in hand with buying local produce: Vegetables and fruits that are ripe and in season in your area are usually cheaper, more delicious and have been grown under more natural conditions—which typically means fewer resources like water and energy were needed.

HOW TO MINIMIZE YOUR FOOD WASTE

Reducing food waste is one of the easiest ways you can reduce your environmental footprint. Food waste may seem relatively harmless, but it’s an urgent environmental issue: The USDA estimates that a whopping 30–40% of our food supply is wasted in the United States, and the process of transporting, storing, and disposing of food in landfills uses large amounts of energy, water and land. Here are a few tips for optimizing your seafood meals for minimal food waste (and maximum deliciousness). 

  • Plan ahead: Try to plan your meals for the week, incorporating recipes that use similar ingredients that might otherwise end up in the trash. For example, if you have leftover cooked rice from a Monday night salmon grain bowl, repurpose it into a fried rice entrée later in the week. 
  • Buy more shelf stable products: Shelf stable pantry items typically last much longer than goods that need refrigeration—which means there’s less risk of them spoiling and being discarded. Happily, our canned seafood and seafood packets are fully shelf stable when unopened.
  • Maximize freshness: If you’ve opened a can or pack of seafood and haven’t used it all, take the time to transfer it to an airtight, sealable container. When properly stored, seafood will last 3-4 days in the fridge—and makes a great healthy, high-protein snack on the go. 
  • Simplify and downsize: A bountiful array of food and dishes may feel like a generous way to feed your family, but over-preparing leads to extra leftovers—and a greater chance of food going to waste. Serve portions that meet your family’s needs, and not more. And if someone still needs a snack after dinner, that immaculately stored leftover seafood is right there for the taking…
  • Compost: Inevitably, there will be some food waste—and that’s where composting comes in. When you compost your food waste, you’re not only keeping it out of landfills—you’re producing rich, healthy soil for your garden and reducing greenhouse gasses in the process.

AND DON’T FORGET TO RECYCLE!

Remember that your Chicken of the Sea can is fully recyclable! After you’ve enjoyed your meal, give the can a quick rinse and toss it into your recycling bin. Aluminum cans are among the most recyclable items out there, highlighting the vital role they play in a circular economy and making sure they get reused is an easy way to contribute to a greener future.

WHAT IS SEACHANGE® AND HOW DOES IT HELP THE ENVIRONMENT? 

We’re glad you asked! SeaChange® 2030 is our comprehensive sustainability plan, built in partnership with our parent company, Thai Union, to reshape the seafood industry from the inside out. Our multi-pronged plan ensures safe and healthy conditions for workers, responsible fishing systems for wild caught fish, a reduction in ocean plastics, the restoration of fragile ecosystems like coral reefs, and a path to zero waste manufacturing and net zero emissions. These are ambitious goals, but we’re committed to protecting both people and planet for future generations. When you purchase Chicken of the Sea seafood, you’re supporting these initiatives to help safeguard the environment.

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Use our product locator to find the perfect salmon, tuna, crab or other seafood products from Chicken of the Sea.

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