Ellie Wilson
MS, RDN, CDN
If you are considering how the foods you eat impact your health and the health of our planet, you are not alone. Embracing that holistic approach to ensuring we all have access to healthy food, and ensuring we manage food well from land and sea is key to access now and in the future.
Striving to #EatSeafood2XWeek is recommended by the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, the American Heart Association and the American Diabetes Association. Eating more seafood is a proven way to support heart and brain health, ensure good intake of omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA, and enjoy easy to season lean, nutrient-rich protein. Seafood is a great choice for pregnant women (see important recommendations here: Advice About Eating Fish). It is also a great starter food for toddlers and young children, with research showing significant positive impact on brain growth and IQ (Seafood Nutrition Partnership). The benefits don’t stop there – building that #Seafood2XWeek routine will fuel your family’s health for life!
Learning more about how seafood fisheries and farms are managed can help you be confident in the choices you make. Farmed and wild seafood are both good choices, as both industries are working with scientists and systems to maximize production while protecting the environment. Our Seafood Team knows sourcing responsibly harvested and farmed fish is good for people and the planet. Our deeply experienced buyers collectively have over 30+ years of experience and have been advocates for ensuring seafood fisheries are actively engaged in sustainable practices. This includes seeking sourcing standards like the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification and supporting fisheries engaged in criteria-driven fishery improvement projects (FIPs), as science and safety continues to drive best practices.
For farmed seafood, the science has become an independent certification our Seafood team relies on to assist with supporting best aquaculture practices and high-quality items. For example, they ensure farmed salmon meet the internationally recognized Best Aquaculture Practices standards – you can learn more here: Best Aquaculture Practices. Look for the certification on Market 32 seafood packages.
Those best practices include careful sourcing of some species from specific areas, such as certified Icelandic Haddock, and Alaskan Snow Crab. Science also ensures seafood is processed and flash frozen as quickly as possible, to preserve flavor, texture and nutrient profile. Cryovac packaging of fresh-frozen fish ensures you can enjoy 1 or all 4 filets when you want to bring the benefits to your table by choosing a Market 32 frozen seafood. Fresh or frozen, flavor, and quality are all ensured by our team – we can’t wait for you to try them all! #EatSeafoodAmerica