What Is Radical Transparency? A Cheat Sheet For Conscious Eaters

As consumers strive to find the cleanest and greenest labels that support their health goals and their values, the race is on for the new must-have ingredient: radical transparency

- Kate Geagan

When it comes to food, “radical transparency” is the watchword for 2018, according to market-research firm Mintel. Indeed, 69% of 1,500 consumers surveyed in a recent Hartman Group report wanted more transparency and evidence from companies about their sustainability practices.

Considered a step beyond third-party certifications such as Fair Trade Certified or Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), radical transparency is about staying ahead of the curve by offering even more proof points to eaters. For companies embracing this approach, the goal is simple: provide a high-quality product while also ameliorating a social or environment ill.

Take seafood. Long lauded by nutritionists as a nutrient-packed superfood, the vast majority of eaters still fall well below the recommended intake (at least two times per week), often citing concerns about potential contaminants such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), which are highly toxic industrial compounds; heavy metals such as lead, mercury or cadmium; and general murkiness about where the product was sourced.

“Seafood has been a notoriously opaque industry for much of its history, and that has led to a lot of fraud, overfishing and unsustainable practices that do not value responsible sourcing,” says Ken Plasse, CEO of Fishpeople Seafood. The solution? Fishpeople Seafood introduces you to the waters, the fishing methods, the species and the crews who caught your dinner. “Our mission is to directly connect people with the story behind their seafood because we have seen how this connection inspires people to support more transparently sourced, pure seafood with no artificial additives, as well as local coastal communities and independent fishermen.”

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