Why Sprouts' Seafood Department Is Far Better Than Most Shoppers Realize

Stepping into a Sprouts doesn't feel the same as most grocery stores. The space is more open, with a smaller percentage allocated toward aisles of packaged goods, and more room for fresh produce, bulk bins, and excellent counters for meats and seafood. It's right there in the full name — Sprouts Farmers Market — but the stores really do convey that feeling, particularly in the seafood department.

It only takes a second of conversation with the clerks to learn they are both knowledgeable about the product and always happy to help. In addition to writing, I also develop recipes, and I can assure that when I need something special, I can trust them to lend a hand. Sometimes that just means sorting through the scallops for the largest and most photogenic of the lot for a "The Bear"-inspired scallop recipe, while other times it's a bigger ask, like setting aside salmon scraps for a Finnish lohikeitto recipe.

The quality of the seafood department goes well beyond the staff, with the grocery chain making a real effort to both provide quality products and ensure they are doing their part in the stewardship of the planet. All seafood products sold at Sprouts stores undergo a strict verification process to ensure they meet the company's high standards in areas like traceability, labor practices, and environmental policy. With all of that, it is no wonder Sprouts is one of the grocery chains with the best seafood.

Sprouts lays out the principles of its "responsible seafood sourcing policy" on the company website, and it is a solid set of rules beginning with traceability. For there to be any chance of sticking to policies, the buyer needs to be absolutely certain of where and how the seafood is sourced. Sprouts only purchases from traceable sources with third-party certifications and documents confirming the chain of control for the product. This knowledge is the keystone that enables the chain to ensure that their products are both high quality and in line with an ethos of sustainability.

Sprouts relies on the knowledge of experts to determine if a product falls among the best sustainable seafood to buy and eat. To sell their products to Sprouts, fisheries and aquaculture operations are evaluated by a third-party team to ensure they are compliant with both regulations and sustainability metrics outlined by industry experts, scientific studies, and NGOs. The company policy is internally defined, but it does draw on information from respected sources, like the Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch, the Marine Stewardship Council, and Best Aquaculture Practices, among others.

In more tangible terms, these policies mean that Sprouts will never sell you threatened species with no recovery plan, genetically modified seafood, or anything from fishing vessels that engage in shark finning. When shopping for seafood at a Sprouts store, you can rest assured not only that what they sell you will be of high quality, but also that they are asking the sustainability questions so you don't have to.