Weight Watchers List Recommends Members Eat Endangered Sea Food

[johnmckenzie]

Thanks to Bite-Back (see their facebook page), a UK based shark and marine conservation group we learned that Weight Watchers, the world’s biggest diet company is recommending its members consume shark, swordfish, skate, monk-fish and even orange roughy (a deep water fish that can live to 120+ years old) to lose weight. I am researching more but we have the WW response and other info and are posting it to Weight Watches List Recomends Members Eat Endangered Sea Food | ScubaGadget - Scuba News Service

The short response from WW is this:
Swordfish and monkfish are examples of Filling & Healthy foods. Members do not have to consume Filling & Healthy foods to follow our weight loss plan, but we work to enable healthier choices in this way. Weight Watchers does not make recommendations or dictate to any consumer or members about ethical aspects of food sourcing.

 

[Wookie]

WW's response seems about right to me. PETA thinks you shouldn't eat meat of any kind, I'm sure that there is a Save the Baby Cows foundation that thinks we shouldn't eat veal, We're not supposed to eat Tuna because it has mercury, we're not supposed to eat GMO veggies because of something, we're not supposed to eat veggies laced with fertilizer or pesticides which harms the ocean in stormwater runoff (which is a far bigger offense than having a swordfish steak, IMO).

Tell you what. I'll starve to death after the next guy does. Until we give up food as a society, I'm pretty much going to eat it, and don't care too much where it comes from.

 

[guyharrisonphoto]

A lot of these fisheries are managed and have been sustainable for many years, even some shark fisheries. I tend to agree with Wookie, (I would not eat shark fin soup or a fish that I knew was on the verge of extinction, but everyone draws the line differently).

Also, WW is an organization dedicated to healthy eating. I have no problem at all with their recommending healthy nutritious foods. If, for OTHER reasons, some groups disagree with eating certain things, that is no reason for criticizing WW for doing what it is dedicated to doing and accurately reporting the health benefits of having a certain amount of seafood in your diet.


To the OP, you also did a disservice in not posting WW's full response, which was a considered and thoughtful response to your issue. You scorn it as "the company line" as if an intelligent assesment and response to your position was somehow worthy of disregard. In fact, your reaction to their response seemed self-righteous as opposed to principled.

 

[RJP]

PETA thinks you shouldn't eat meat of any kind...

When my son was about 4 he asked me "If we're not supposed to eat animals... why are they made out of meat?"

 

[Max Speed]

Well... At least the weight watching folks won't be eating big portions of anything.

Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk 2

 

[RJP]

We should tell them lionfish are "Zero Points" :d