Carting Away the Oceans
Seafood Sustainability in U.S. Supermarkets
Carting Away the Oceans
Find out the winners and losers in our 2014 rankings

About Carting Away the Oceans

the Greenpeace Seafood Sustainability Scorecard

Supermarkets are one of our strongest connections to the oceans.

Carting Away the Oceans

Greenpeace evaluated 26 major retailers on sustainability using a variety of factors including the sale of "red list" seafood, engagement with conservation initiatives, transparency of supply, and the establishment of cohesive internal policies to score each retailer on a scale of 0-10.

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stores evaluated


new stores evaluated


improved stores


earned Good ratings

Rating Criteria

Here are things we looked at to evaluate stores


Looks for participation in conservation initiatives such as sustainable fishing or protection of marine habitat, like Bering Sea Canyons.


Examines the systems in place that govern the company's purchasing decisions and how it avoids supporting destructive practices.

Red Listers

Investigates whether retailers sell any destructively caught or endangered marine species on Greenpeace's Red List for seafood.

Labels and Transparency

Evaluates the company's level of transparency about where and who it sources its seafood from, and how clearly this is communicated to customers.

Scorecard Highlights

Noteworthy developments

Wegmans has become the fourth grocery store to earn the "good" rating since Greenpeace began its industry ranking in 2008. Newly-profiled Hy-Vee has entered the rankings in fifth place, an impressive performance for a first-time assessment.


Of the top five performing supermarkets on sustainable seafood, four have launched or will shortly launch private label sustainable canned tuna products (pole-and-line or FAD-free): Whole Foods, Safeway, Trader Joe's, and Hy-Vee.

Canned Tuna


Bering Sea


Wrong Way

the stores

Here's how they did

Campaign Timeline

Progress towards seafood sustainability

  1. First Carting Away the Oceans report

    Greenpeace releases the first Carting Away the Ocean report ranking the sustainable seafood policies and practices of 20 major U.S. supermarkets. At the time, most U.S. supermarkets were purchasing seafood with little consideration for impacts on the wider marine environment. This year's report of 26 major retailers depicts the shift towards positive reforms industry-wide.

  2. Trader Joe's changes course

    After the launch of Greenpeace's "Traitor Joe's" campaign, the retailer announces new sustainable seafood policies and improves seafood labeling practices. Prior to this announcement, Trader Joe's came in 17th place out of the 20 stores evaluated. This year, it is 4th overall and earned a "good" rating.

  3. Whole Food and Safeway make good

    Whole Foods and Safeway become the first retailers ever to earn a "good" rating for commitment to the sustainability of the seafood they sell. In 2014, 4 stores earned a "good" rating: Whole Foods, Safeway, Wegmans, and Trader Joe's.

  4. Safeway's sustainable choice

    Safeway begins to stock the first private-label (store brand) sustainable canned tuna – a budget friendly alternative to environmentally destructive mainstream options. Today, consumers can now find sustainable private-label tuna at Safeway and four other retailers: Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, Hy-Vee, and Walmart.