Publisher/Editor
Randy Hartnell
Producer
Craig Weatherby
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VitalChoices
NEW Herbs & Spices
Certified Organic and Kosher
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Customers had often asked us to expand our seasoning offerings beyond our Organic Salmon Marinade blend. We thought they had a good idea, but it took time to secure superior sources.
Each fresh, flavorful seasoning in our new line of 10 Organic Herbs & Spices is certified Organic and Kosher (OU), and is naturally rich in beneficial “phytoceutical” compounds.
And if, like many, your pantry harbors some old, faded seasonings, our Herbs and Spices Medley package—which includes our Organic Salmon Marinade blend—will upgrade your seasonings scene in one fell swoop!
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Vital Choices!
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Like Your Lox Luscious?
Ours Makes Mouths Water
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Vital Choice smoked salmon is far superior to the preservative-laden farmed product found in most grocery stores.
After curing in natural alder wood smoke, our Smoked Sockeye Portions and silky, Cold-Smoked Sliced Nova Lox are immediately vacuum-packed and flash-frozen. Thawed and served, they taste as though they came fresh out of the smoker.
"I am in love with the hot-smoked salmon. It is fabulous flaked and scrambled with eggs and onions. They give the eggs a lovely zing." — Dana Jacobi, author of 12 Best Foods Cookbook.
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The World's Finest Fish Oil
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We put only whole, unrefined oil from wild Alaskan sockeye salmon in our premium salmon oil supplements. Wild Alaskan sockeye salmon is one of the cleanest fish in the sea: a trait reflected in the purity of our unrefined sockeye oil, which is now certified by NSF: one of the best-respected independent labs in the U.S.
Because our naturally pure salmon oil does not need to be distilled, it provides the essential omega-3 fatty acids (EPA & DHA), plus 30 other natural fatty acids and astaxanthin: the potent antioxidant that gives sockeye its distinctive deep-red color.
Last, but not least, ours comes in pure fish-gelatin capsules and it is the only salmon oil supplement certified as sustainably sourced by the Marine Stewardship Council (www.msc.org).
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Why Our Albacore Tuna's A Cut Above
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Our young, low-weight Pacific Albacore Tuna—fresh or canned—is simply superior!
Smaller means safer: Vital Choice troll-caught tuna weigh just 12 lbs. or less, so they contain less mercury, and more omega-3s, than the larger troll-caught tuna touted by other “minimal mercury” vendors.
No loitering allowed: Our tuna are hauled in fast, bled, and flash-frozen within about two hours. (Standard long-line-caught albacore spend 12 hours in the water.)
Better, fresher flavor, even in the can: Unlike standard canned albacore—which is cooked twice at great cost to flavor and omega-3 content—Vital Choice tuna is cooked only once (in the can) to preserve its healthful oils and fresh flavor.
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The Vital Choice Advantage
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Click here to learn about the Vital Choice Advantage ... the many reasons why William Sears, M.D. — renowned as "America's Baby Doctor"— calls Vital Choice his favorite salmon source.
Vital Choice was founded by two longtime Alaska fishermen—Randy Hartnell and Dave Hamburg—who know where to get the highest quality fish. And they test it periodically to ensure your safety.
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Berries to Live For!
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Vital Choice fresh-frozen organic blueberries, strawberries and red raspberries are rich in anti-aging antioxidants, and draw customer comments like this:
“OH MY GOODNESS! I cannot believe the flavor ... the taste reminds me of something from my childhood. Thanks for a great product!
Berries are incredibly healthful foods, and it's smart to seek out organic berries, grown without synthetic pesticides.
Our organic berries come in convenient one pound bags, each yielding about 3-1/2 cups. They freeze well, so you can keep plenty on hand!
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Savor the "Chocolate of the Sea"
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Sablefish is rarely seen in standard fish markets, but is highly prized in Japan, which corners almost the entire North American catch.
This buttery, flaky, white fish boasts its own rich texture and mind-blowing flavor—and even more omega-3s than wild salmon!
We also offer irresistible smoked sablefish. Boasting a rich golden color, these scrumptious, oven-ready steaks are infused with delicate alder wood smoke flavor—and cook fully from frozen in mere minutes!
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Kosher Fish, Berries, Spices, Chocolate, and More
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Did you know that most of our key offerings are certified Kosher? The roster of Kosher-certified Vital Choice foods includes most of our premium canned seafood * (Tuna, Sardines, Wild Red Sockeye, and Foil-Pouch Sockeye) most of our fresh-frozen wild Alaskan Salmon* (Sockeye, Silver, King), all of our Organic Herbs & Spices and Organic Chocolates*, and all of our Organic Berries.
*EarthKosher, which certifies the asterisked products, strives to make more healthy foods available to Kosher consumers by providing certification to companies that meet its halakhic, health, environmental, and social standards. EarthKosher's Rabbinic Counsultant, Rabbi Zushe Yosef Blech, is considered one of the world’s leading experts. For more information on EarthKosher, click here.
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Our brand new holiday catalog, which features several exciting new offerings. To receive yours, click here.
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Consumers revolt against farmed salmon
Campaigners urge retailers to reform purchasing practices
by Craig Weatherby
On October 31, the Coastal Alliance for Aquaculture Reform (CAAR) ran a half-page ad in The New York Times, urging major grocery chains (Safeway, Whole Foods Market, Albertsons, Krogers, Trader Joe’s, Costco) to stop selling farmed salmon. Then, on November 5, people heeding CAAR’s call gathered near Safeway and Whole Foods Market stores in selected cities to protest the sale of farmed salmon. CAAR says that these actions initiate a sustained campaign targeting large retailers.
Addicted to farm-raised profits
Most supermarket and big-box discount chains have long known about the serious problems associated with farmed salmon—and they’ve depended upon consumer ignorance and indifference to preserve one of their biggest profit centers. In spite of increasing media attention and better informed customers, retailers are loath to wean themselves from this highly profitable product line. Farmed salmon is cheap, readily available, cosmetically perfect, of consistent—albeit mediocre eating quality—and, until recently was equated in consumers’ minds with wild salmon and all its health-promoting properties.
While many chains will likely continue to sell farmed salmon, it is becoming increasingly difficult for eco-stores like Whole Foods Market and Wild Oats to reconcile their "green" marketing message with the sale (in huge quantities) of a product on the "Avoid-Worst Choice" black list of virtually every major environmental organization.
What’s all the fuss about?
These are some of the key issues that lead consumers to heed CAAR’s call to action. Our thanks go to CAAR (http://www.farmedanddangerous.org/index.htm) for the information in these bullet points:
- Preliminary findings suggest that farmed salmon contain far higher levels of toxic PCBs and dioxins than wild salmon: higher, in fact, than in any other seafood or meat.
- Farmed salmon is much higher in saturated fats than wild salmon. North Americans’ diets are already very high in saturated fats: intake levels associated with heart disease.
- Farmed salmon are frequently fed antibiotics, which contribute to the growth of drug-resistant bacteria.
- Massive deposits of waste matter from salmon farms degrade the coastal environment, whose health is vital to the overall marine ecology.
- With very few exceptions, farmed salmon are raised in open net cages in the ocean. These nets can tear, allowing farmed salmon to escape into the wild, and interbreed with or crowd out wild species. Industry admits that more than one million farmed salmon have escaped into Pacific waters since 1988: many experts believe the real figure is much higher.
- Escaped Atlantic salmon compete with wild salmon—particularly steelhead—for habitat, and have been known to eat wild salmon fry and eggs. Escaped farmed salmon have been found spawning, and juveniles seen surviving, in the wild.
The Dear John letter
The Coastal Alliance for Aquaculture Reform urges people to send protest letters or faxes to the presidents of their local supermarket chains—with Safeway and Whole Foods Market as prime targets. This is the sample letter CAAR offers on their Web site:
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Dear Mr. Steven A. Burd (Safeway) and Mr. John Mackey (Whole Foods),
As your customer, I look to you and trust that you will supply me with healthy and sustainable foodstuffs – products that I can feel good about buying. Upon learning about the salmon farming industry and the way in which it operates, I was disturbed to learn that you sell their products.
I am writing to let you know that I will not be buying salmon from you until I can be sure that it is a healthy, sustainable choice. Please take my concerns to your suppliers and let them know that you require that they source their farmed salmon only from companies employing technology that:
- Eliminates the risk of disease transfer to wild fish and escapes of salmon into the wild
- Prevents fish farm waste from being released into the ocean
- Labels all farmed fish so consumers can make informed choices
- Uses fish feed that does not result in a global loss of seafood (e.g., herring) for human consumption
- Ensures that wildlife is not harmed as a result of fish farming
- Prohibits the use of genetically modified fish
- Eliminates the use of antibiotics in fish farming
- Respect the views of coastal residents and do not locate farms where First Nations or other communities object
Until such a time, I can assure you that I will think twice when visiting your seafood counter. |
[PRINTER FRIENDLY VERSION]
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