Fishing for Fish Made Simple - November 8, 2007

The ‘it’ issue these days, global warming, triggers off a little known debate in limited circles; mercury poisoning due to fish consumption. The lack of awareness of the subject makes it all the more dangerous and threatening. Alarmingly, even die hard health freaks are not aware of the risks associated with certain kinds of fish and have therefore failed to take any preventive measures. Although threats related to fish consumption are not to be taken lightly, there is no need to stop fish consumption altogether and precautionary steps should be sufficient to deal with the problem.

Additionally, 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 for most.

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 all of this trouble free with the help of live greeters. The greeters give 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 and give alternative 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 are 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.

For pregnant women or nursing mothers, fish provides immense energy and nutrition. However, at the same time, mercury poisoning can prove to be even more dangerous than usual for them and their child. This dilemma of whether or not to have fish is one that our greeters are trained to solve. 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. In other cases, the 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 till the end of their purchase, assisting them in whatever way possible.

2010-05-18T12:13:11