Articles by Andrew Sharpless

Albertsons joins the ‘green list’

For the past two years my organization has been working with supermarkets around the country to get them to post FDA warnings about mercury in seafood.

The FDA warns women of childbearing age (including pregnant and nursing women) and young children to avoid eating any swordfish, tilefish, shark, or king mackerel, and to limit their consumption of albacore tuna and tuna steaks. One store we've focused on, along with Women's Voices for the Earth in Missoula, is Albertsons.

Today, I'm happy to report that Albertsons and its subsidiaries Acme, Jewel-Osco, Shaw's, and Star Market will be posting that much-needed advice at their seafood counters.

Donate wild salmon instead of tuna

It's hard to believe that the holiday season is already upon us. Despite the mall stampedes, fruitcake overload, never-ending traffic jams, and hideous reindeer sweaters, I'm looking forward to spending the holidays with my family. I can almost taste my mother's mince pie, and I am ready to play backyard soccer and touch football with my daughters and my nieces and nephews.

Sea bass smuggler cops a plea in Miami

In September 2005, U.S. prosecutors brought criminal charges against Antonio Vidal Pego and the Uruguayan company Fadilur for trying to bring Chilean sea bass into Miami without proper documentation.

Although this case may have lacked the pizazz necessary to inspire a Law & Order episode, it was, in fact, a very big deal. This indictment was the first ever for the illegal importation and sale of Chilean sea bass. Yesterday was another groundbreaker, with the first ever guilty pleas for pirate fishing (coming from Vidal and Fadilur).

Shark finning divisive issue

A few days ago I came across this post by Doctor Mark Hyman touting the medicinal properties of food. During his recent trip to China, the doctor was "treated" to the "delicacy" of shark fin soup, which he claims can help ease arthritis and possibly fight cancer.