Color coded shopping

Whole foods market has long been known for its attention to detail and loyalty to sustainable food products and services. In September, Wfm became the first national grocer to provide a comprehensive, science-based sustainability rating system for wild caught seafood. In partnership with blue ocean Institute and monterey Bay aquarium, whole foods market now features a seafood ranking system with three ratings… green, yellow and red. This system is intended to make it easier for shoppers to make informed choices at the seafood case. Green or best choice ratings indicate a species is relatively abundant and is caught in environmentally friendly ways. Yellow or good alternative ratings mean some concerns exist with the species status or catch methods and of course read would mean to avoid because the species is suffering from overfishing or the current fishing methods harm other marine life or habitats. By earth day 2013, Wfm will have discontinued selling any seafood from red rated fisheries.

And what about farm raised seafood? Wfm requires third-party audits and traceability from

2 TB 365™ extra Virgin olive oil

2 shallots, minced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 Serrano chili, seeds & ribs removed, minced

1 ½ tsp 365™ organic Cane Sugar

2 TB 365™ organic Soy Sauce

1 TB red wine vinegar

Pulp from 10 finger limes

1 TB organic cilantro, chopped

2 TB organic chives, chopped

12 raw oysters, shucked (from hope Ranch, Santa Barbara mariculture)

Pinch of sea salt

2 Cups of Kosher Salt or ice (optional) hatchery to market, and prohibits the use of antibiotics, added growth hormones, added preservatives like sulfites and phosphates, genetically modified seafood and land animal byproducts in feed. farmed seafood brands are required to carry the responsibly farmed logo to indicate seafood meets the higher standard. managers say they are more than happy to answer questions from customers who want to learn about where their seafood comes from and help them make the best choice possible. And when you make your choice the market will gladly marinate or even grill your fish at no charge while you finish your shopping.

—Josh Richards.

Photo by Shelly Vinson.

for the vinaigrette: heat the eVo in a sauté pan over medium heat.

Add the shallots, garlic & Serrano chili, and sauté until the shallots are softened, about 2 minutes.

Add the sugar, soy sauce, red wine vinegar, and then stir until the sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and stir in the finger lime pulp, cilantro and chives.

Let cool to room temperature. Rinse the oysters under cold water and then shuck, leaving the flesh in half the shell. Arrange the oysters on a bed of Kosher Salt or ice. Spoon the vinaigrette over each oyster, sprinkle with sea salt.