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Reading the labels of packaged food products is always educational. Even minimally processed foods (i.e. canned tomatoes, sardines, roasted peppers) can have additives or storylines that should be noted.I love sardines and recently discovered the Wild Planet brand, which uses wild sardines “sustainably caught along the California coast” packed in tins that are “certified BPA free,” two important details for me. Even more important, Wild Planet’s sardines are delicious and a great source of omega-3 fatty acids.
One small detail, though, caught my eye. Wild Planet sardines are “processed in Vietnam.” I thought this strange and made me question the “caught along the California coast” claim.
I went to the Wild Planet website and the issue was addressed on the “Facts and Questions” page:
Why are Wild Planet tuna and sardines caught in the US but packed in Vietnam?Wild Planet’s frank disclosure is a refreshing change; I rarely see such openness from a food company. Some of the major internationals don’t list basic information, including the ingredients of their heavily-processed foodstuffs, on their websites. My follow-up phone calls are sometimes met with attitude, incompetence or a mix of both.
Unfortunately, there is no US sardine or tuna cannery capable of processing our volume requirements and the last sardine factory in the United States closed in 2010. In addition, the US cost of production would greatly increase the retail price beyond the reach of most families. Our goal is to make US-sourced sustainable seafood choices mainstream and thus have a greater impact on fishery harvest practices for the long-term good of ocean conservation.
We have elected to process our 5oz cans of albacore and skipjack tuna as well as our sardines in a highly respected partner facility in Vietnam. This facility offers state-of-the-art canning expertise in an immaculately clean, accredited environment that produces higher quality finished products than any cannery we have seen in the US.
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26 comments:
Thank you very much for the recommendation and information. These things are important!
Very informative.
Love,
Coach Schneids
I call b.s. on their explanation, if they are a small company then their volume should not be beyond domestic, or at least North American, processors. It's not like they are building rockets.
Moreover, the only reason it's cheaper to ship abroad and then ship back is because the true environmental cost is not being included in shipping rates.
Thus, for the macro benefit to the environment, we'd be better off eating canned fish that was caught and processed in southeast asia to cut down on the extra shipping back and forth.
Tried WP Sardines for the first time yest and the "processed in vietnam" part was a turn-off, so thankyou for pacifying my troubled mind with your post.
This answers my questions, but I'm not happy with the answers. Again, we are shipping work away from the US. And, the environment is effected by the travel to and from Vietnam. Sorry, if I'm going to buy a product from afar, I'm buying French Sardines. They taste better anyway.
The main issue I have with WP is the fact that they are deceiving the public with their "California caught" sardines suggesting that this is US operation. The reality is that they are a Vietnamese product, most likely fished off of coastal Vietnam in mid-water purse seiners and processed and packed there. There is nothing "Californian" about this line and they should come clean and change their packaging.
I purchased this tuna for the first time today. I was really impressed with this brand UNTIL I read the processed in Vietnam on the can. I will be returning the cans I bought for that reason. I have read nothing but bad things about fish being processed there and the filthy, deplorable conditions in these fish processing plants. Very disappointed in this brand.
What can I say I am also very disappointed in the brand, you don't know who to trust who to believe no exception all the companies organic, non organic are money conscious only greed.
This is all very interesting. I just bought some and read the label and it doesn't say "processed in Vietnam" , it says "product of Vietnam" and it doesn't say "caught off the California Coast", it says "sustainably caught in the Pacific Ocean". Yes, this is Wild Planet, Wild Sardines.
So I would guess that they are in fact, coming from Vietnam area and not from North American waters. I've lived in various parts of Asia and absolutely do not want to eat anything coming from the ocean around Japan, China, Taiwan, or Southeast Asia.... Just too much pollution there. If you could see the racks of Nori growing just offshore in Japan, you'd be horrified. The beaches, 30 meters away are a cesspool of garbage, with lines of chemical and other companies lining the coast for tens of miles in each direction. Do not eat seaweed from Korea or Japan!
So these statements really suck I like their product but now I have to take another look at it. Very sad
Well, my taste just changed. Thought I found a good brand. Don't want any seafood from Vietnam. :-(
Amazing how all the above comments became like a game of "telephone" where we begin with Wild Planet's claims at the tip, then pretty quickly people start making up their own translations of Wood Planet's statements,then the next person takes the previous person's translation as fact, and then it all goes downhill from there, lol! People are crazy. People, read the label yourself! It says "processed in Vietnam", and it has never said "product of California", ha! The *company* is out of Mickinlyville, CA, but never has the packaging stated that the contents are a "product of California". And if you do your homework you'll discover that WP only purchases fish from US vessels, on top of that they DO NOT ALLOW the use of FADs whatsoever and they have close relationships with each of the *US* vessels that they purchase from. Bill, the owner, is actually one of the very few owners of a corporation in this country that has made supplying families with SUSTAINABLY CAUGHT seafood his passion project...he actually believes in this cause, and to protect our supply of seafood for generations to come. People, stop playing telephone and do your homework!
And it is not a product of Vietnam, otherwise they would state it as such. This company has an exceptional reputation. Also, to address the topic of chemicals etc....Wild Planet has provided this information right here: https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=http://www.wildplanetfoods.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/RADIATION_5.12.16_QR.pdf&ved=0ahUKEwiFxsqh69DUAhVJ0GMKHYycAM8QFgguMAE&usg=AFQjCNGJ0zGfUn8K0YrLLQYCfwjoOMKw2Q
I purchased these at Costco, and I didn't notice anything about Vietnam until I returned home. I would not have purchased the product if I had realized where it came from; that being said, I have had stomach discomfort since eating the product.
Shipping from the west coast to Vietnam does not necessarily add to the "environmental cost;" in fact, it makes good sense. We are a consumer nation, and the bulk of our goods consumed are shipped from Asia, by ship. Those ships have to make the round trip, and because of our inport/export imbalance, many (most) of those ships return empty. Therefore, to help fill those ships, the cost of shipping from the U.S. west coast to Asia is minimal. If these sardines are in fact taken from off the California coast, we have a win (American fishermen), win (shipping lines), win (Vietnamese economy), win (American consumer cost saving) situation.
I am looking at the packaging as I write.
“Produced for Wild Planet Foods, Inc, Mc
Kinleyville, California, USA
PROCESSED IN MOROCCO (FAQ 34)”
My sardines say, "PROCESSED IN THAILAND"???
Wow! It is so unsettling that we can't get clean processed tuna! THAILAND! VIETNAM! WHAT? WHAT?
One more Case of deceptive advertising, as an American consumer buying something “caught in the North Pacific” Does not make you think of something caught off of the coast of Thailand, where they are caught and packaged, yes technically anything north of the equator is the North Pacific, buyer beware
I only buy Wild Planet Salmon. It says nothing about Vietnam like the tuna and sardines. I hope I'm correct in assuming they are processed here.
I have always fancied taking sardines, bread and a bottle of milk for breakfast every morning. I guess anyone would say i am addicted to sardines. Reading this article, i had a new perspective. Thanks, Amigo!
I would be Glad if you read https://www.tecteem.com/zedge/
I received my shipment of tuna today and was shocked that it is processed in Vietnam. No thank you. Me and my family will not be eating this!
Vietnam. Hmmm... Been trying different sardines to find my brand. I don't like the Vietnam connection even if they are only processed over there. Brunswick are caught off the east coast of Canada and processed there as well. That's my North American brand right now. King Oscar are caught off the coast of Norway and processed in Poland. They are good although a bit more expensive. Brunswick are half the cost of King Oscar. Still to try Season sardines, harvested off the coast of Morocco . They are non-GMO, non-BPA, and Friend of the Sea certified, not to mention around the same price as Wild Planet (smack dab between King Oscar and Brunswick).
Agree
Thank you so much. It’s exhausting research trying to find out which big companies have bought the small companies and trying to constantly try to make sure we aren’t being greenwashed. Truly appreciate the help. :)
I agree
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