The ‘it’ issue these days, global warming, triggers off a little known debate in limited circles, which is mercury poisoning due to fish consumption. The unawareness of the subject makes fish consumption even more risky. Alarmingly, even die hard health freaks are unaware of the risks associated with certain kinds of fish. To complicate things even further, it is true that in most cases the benefits of fish consumption outweigh the risks. Threats related to fish consumption are not to be taken lightly. But some people have stopped eating all sorts of fish altogether, which is needless.

And of course, there are those minor problems, but problems nevertheless, associated with buying fish. River fish or ocean fish, farmed or wild, which fish is healthier, what tastes better, what’s the proper way to cook. Fish buying is a surprisingly murky area.

A vendor in a fish market doesn’t tell you the health benefits or risks, or where does the fish come from. But farm2market.com makes this all trouble free with the help of live greeters. These LiveAdmins give the customers a comprehensive guide on buying fish, and volunteer information and suggestions to suit the customer’s special needs so that they can make informed decisions. Moreover, the site also offers free delivery.

These Live Greeters initiate conversations with customers on the site, ask various questions, give alternate solutions regarding the kind of fish the customers should buy. The first step for these greeters is to understand their customers. Is the customer middle aged, pregnant or a nursing mother, is there a growing child in the family, what’s the customer’s health requirements. They let you know which fish tastes better, can be cooked faster, and which comes from a reputable source, i.e., one that does not violate international law.

If the customer is a pregnant woman, or a woman of child bearing age, or a nursing mother, the greeter can advise the customer to lay off certain kinds of fish due to threats of mercury poisoning. Mercury poisoning can have devastating health effects and it can prove even more dangerous for pregnant and nursing woman since fetuses are exposed to mercury and it can also be transferred through milk. In a child, this can cause permanent brain damage. But the fact remains that pregnant and nursing women can derive the greatest benefit from eating fish if they undertake certain precautions. So in this case a greeter can advise these women to limit their consumption of fish to 12 ounces per week, and not to eat tuna, shark, swordfish etc, since they contain higher levels of mercury.

The greeters also let you know the source of the fish, whether it’s a river, ocean or farmed fish. They can also give recommendations, e.g., an assurance that wild and farmed salmon are both safe since wild salmon comes from Alaska which has cleaner water. Or that ocean fish should not be eaten raw because of the bacteria. They also let you know which fish should be frozen for how long, or how to kill the bacteria.

These greeters know their job and direct their customers to the end of their shopping.

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