Farmed Salmon or Wild Salmon?

[#1]

Few species invoke so much emotion when discussing their source. Partly because there are so many negative connotations perpetuated by myths of both sources and partly because there really is a difference in the appearance and taste. 

Some salmon connoisseurs will insist that wild salmon is superior because of its rich flavor, pristine habitat and higher content of Omega 3 fatty acids. Farmed salmon experts will argue that ‘aquaculture’ has come a long way since the days that many of today’s beliefs were originally born and that the industry is highly regulated now. Both parties can point to specific studies that support their notion, but it’s always been interesting to me to see how closely aligned the end result of the study is to the agenda of the party that funded it.

As for the flavor profiles between wild and farmed salmon, it varies slightly by species. Generally speaking, wild salmon has a richer, more complex taste because of its higher fat content- this is preferable for some, but not for others. It really depends on your individual taste preference. Wild salmon also tends to be more expensive because it cannot be processed all year round or with the same scale (no pun intended) that farmed salmon can.

Whichever side of the fence you sit on (or if you’re like me and you’re just a fan of salmon in general), you can rest assured that Safeway offers only the safest, most sustainable and highest quality wild and farmed salmon in our stores. You can find salmon caught from both sources everyday in our service cases and in our exclusive waterfrontBISTRO™ brand frozen products. Do you have a preference? I’d love to hear your comments!

[#2]

Consumers beware of this website.

I registered today on the Safeway Coupon program in order to take advantage of the Safeway coupon savings.  I added 3 coupons on the card.  I added a $3.00 discount on a purchase of fruits and vegies over $10.00, a $1.00 savings on I Can't Believe its not Butter and Green Giant Steamers with a $.50 reduction.  Later in the day I went to Safeway, purchased the items and did not receive the card price reduction.  I returned to the Safeway coupon website and now cannot enter the site.  Either my email or password is not recognized.  I no longer exist in their system. 

I hope there is no game playing involved.  Consumers beware of this website.  I will stay with the local Farmer's market for seasonal fruit and vegies.  I bet this posting disappears as fast as my registration. 

[#3]

I really love the frozen shrimp that safeway sells. It goes on sale a lot and it is really good

[#4]

Thanks Christopher!

-Demetri

Christopher

[#5]

Thank you Demetri, and thank you Safeway, for choosing to offer both. We farm salmon, and believe that both farmed and wild can co-exist, and complement each other. Personally, I like the taste of both farmed and wild, and choose one or the other depending on my tastes or what kind of dish I want to prepare. And it's all about giving that same choice for the customer. We are proud to offer a safe, sustainable choice, and we are proud to have our fish in the Safeway seafood cooler next to wild salmon.

[#6]

Thanks Demetri;

I too am a salmon lover and I do trust that Safeway does its due diligence and sources from sustainable sources. I prefer to buy farm-raised as I would prefer to leave wild salmon for the bears. Lately, I've heard a few negative things about farmed salmon, so I thought I'd just phone up a salmon farming company in BC and ask them to respond to questions I had. I'm really glad I did, because what I had heard from the media certainly wasn't the truth. I've since gone on a farm tour and had a great time learning about how salmon are raised.

I would suggest that every Safeway staff member behind the counter get to go on a fact finding trip to the various suppliers you source from - whether salmon, shrimp, halibut... It's good to have 1st hand knowledge of where you're food comes from.

Thanks,

Nancy 

[#7]

You are bang-on when you say there are ‘negative connotations perpetuated by myths’ associated with farmed seafood. So, it’s particularly nice to read your balanced perspective on the farmed vs. wild salmon debate, and I agree both are healthy and delicious choices. Farmed salmon, I might add, has the added benefit of being available fresh, year-round.

Cheers,

Ruth Salmon
Executive Director
Canadian Aquaculture Industry Alliance
www.Aquaculture.ca

[#8]

You are right Grant, it is all about giving choices to the customer. Thank you so much for your comment.

Regards,

Demetri

[#9]

I fished for salmon out of Cordova, Alaska for nine seasons.  When I first started we were contributing a penny a pound toward hatcheries thinking it was a good investment.  Wrong!  Hatchery fish don't have to swim up-stream when they come back to spawn and are less firm and flavorful than the ones who did their "survival of the fittest" routine and made it all the way up to the spawning grounds.  The fry hatching at the mouths of the rivers from the hatcheries eat up all the food so the strong fry swimming down have nothing to eat.  It ruined quite a few runs in the Prince William Sound but then again, so did Exxon...

[#10]

Thank you for bringing this to our attention Pat. Please call our Customer Service Center toll free at (877)723-3929. One of our associates will be happy to research your account. We appreciate your feedback. 

-Demetri

[#11]

Peggy, thanks for sharing. We appreciate your feedback!

[#12]

Patronized the anchor Safeway @ Kapahulu/Hawaii, this AM.  Was coveting purchase of Sockeye Salmon on sale.  Now comes the tricky part.  In small print, 2 for $7.99/lb; $8.99/lb for SENIORS, age 80, that are able to use the Mauna Kea astronomy telescope in order to read the fine print.  Remainder of Safeway experience involved the young fish salesperson drawing on his previous night of escapade struggling to set up the display case realizing the sulky salmon did not yet streamed out of the reefer to the display at about 10:15AM.  Weighs one salmon package over 2# and apply the sales tag and hand it over and asked whether it suited us.  Of course not, for two person at age 80?  Grabs another at a little over a pound and mutters with his disgusted eyes, "Gee, I hope this is it."  Walking away from this unusual "why me, so early; I"m just coming around," type of face-to-face meeting, we noted that the price label reflected $8.99/lb.  Not wanting to jeorpadize our immediate attachment to the fish monger, we directed our confusion to a neaby female saleperson busy changing prices along the shelves.  We got our second "Aloha" greetings that went, "the sales advertisements says you must purchase 2# or more," looks that meant much more like shoot, this old buggahs can't read the fine print?  If it weren't for the spouse's affinity to salmon consumption, would have drop the salmon in the aisleway to see if the slimy fish can fin the way back to the reefer.  One plus factor was that the cashier, Glen, erased that hurricane experience.  We will now careflully weigh the human courtesy versus the sale prices prior to embarking on a Safeway tour.  Aloha, I think.

[#13]

Please accept our apologies as it is never our intention to offend or upset our valued customers. We will be sure to notify the Store Manager of your comments right away.