“We place as much emphasis on the importance of humane treatment and quality of life for all animals as we do on the expectations for quality and flavor. It is an integral component of our standards for every species we sell, and lobster cannot be any different,” said John Mackey, co-founder and CEO of Whole Foods Market.

The final destination of a pot of boiling water is the same no matter whether the lobster finds itself luxuriating on The Royal Scotsman or rides the Abu Ghraib express to get there. Is it really respectful to sucker the lobster, like some Mafioso who thinks he’s about to be “made”, and then, without warning, whack the poor slob? Or is it better that the lobster be kept aware throughout the entire journey that its circumstances are dire: it is, after all, a condemned crustacean.

Short of having a priest hold the doomed lobster’s claw while it’s given its Last Rites, Whole Foods will simply be deceiving the animal in the name of compassion. But is the status quo – namely the systematic capture, imprisonment and execution of lobster – any better? I say yes. Or more to the point, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. The current method of delivering live fresh crustacean is efficient, effective, and above all honest. A lobster in this crappy situation won’t be thinking there’ll be Mickey Mouse ears waiting at the end of the train ride.” Eddie Lin of Deep End Dining, published in The Guardian

“…something doesn’t sound right about this. To me, this is a decision based off of the worst of information, information that comes from us anthropomorphizing an animal.

Considering the fact that lobsters are still going to be sold in Whole Foods, most likely flash frozen along with hundreds of other packed together brethern. And considering that it will be most likely fish that takes over the space left empty by the departed tanks, fish that are killed by suffocation and in some instances gutted and bled whilst still alive, it’s hard for me to swallow this “ethical treatment of lobsters” argument.” Kate Hopkins, The Accidental Hedonist

“In 2005, the Maine Lobster Promotional Council commissioned a survey on people’s attitudes toward lobster. Only 15 percent of Americans, mostly in the Northeast, qualified as “traditionalists” who wanted their lobsters alive. An equally small number, just 13 percent, objected to the retail sale of live lobsters for reasons of cruelty. For Whole Foods, the smart business decision is to target the silent majority – the 50 percent or so of Americans who would love to buy fresh lobster if only it were easier to prepare. Trevor Corson, Boston Magazine

“What’s new is using these machines to process live lobsters. The animals are locked inside the tube, alive, and the pumps whir and the water pressure is compressed around the lobsters to three times the deepest trenches in the ocean. The lobsters die, of course — just think what the pressure on your ears is like when you dive a few feet underwater.

At the same time, all the muscle flesh inside the lobsters conveniently separates from the shell. For the first time in human history, people have finally devised way to extract the meat of a lobster without cooking it.” Trevor Corson, The Secret Life of Lobsters

“Whole Foods Market shoppers don’t have to trade off quality, taste and texture or the fresh cooked lobster experience as they switch from ‘live’ to Clearwater’s “new super fresh raw frozen” lobster offerings. Clearwater’s innovative shell off raw lobster meat is being launched into the retail trade and Whole Foods Market is among the first of North American retailers to make it available to their customers. The Process to remove the shell is 100% natural and humane and it does not involve any additives or preservatives. It allows whole claws and tail to be extracted and immediately vacuum packed and flash-frozen to lock in that ‘fresh-caught’ taste and texture. The format has been available to the food service industry for over a year. Chefs love it for the labor and time savings. It has created the opportunity to serve innovative and high quality lobster preparations at both small and large catering and banquet functions without the fuss and bother of extended cooking and shucking times.” Colin MacDonalad, Clearwater Seafoods Limited Partnership

“The ways that lobsters are treated would warrant felony cruelty to animals charges if they were dogs or cats,” said Bruce Friedrich, a spokesman for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.” Fox News

“To be sure, elimination of the costly tanks — which take up space, require salt water and need a pumping system to circulate the water — can help the bottom line, marketing experts say. But critics say Whole Foods, which prides itself on providing a shopping “experience” that brings shoppers closer to food producers, has in fact taken a step in the opposite direction with its lobster policy. It’s one more sign, they say, that squeamish Americans don’t want to think about animals that are the source of their food.” Tom Sharpe, Free New Mexican

“PETA and other animal rights groups are thrilled with the decision, but seem to have missed the fact that the market will still carry frozen raw and cooked lobster products. The lobsters are still being killed, but they won’t be boiled by Whole Foods shoppers.” Nicole Weston, SlashFood

“I don’t think that animal rights groups and PETA (who I like in principle, not in practice) “seem to have missed the fact that the market will still carry frozen raw and cooked lobster products”. I think they see this move as a step in the direction they’d like to see the world go.” Suburban Misfit

“Chef Jasper White, whose four Summer Shack restaurants sell $4 million to $5 million worth of lobster each year, called the decision “pure silliness” and a “PR move” to appease animal-rights activists. Some 10,000 families in New England and maritime Canada depend on lobstering for income, he says, and Whole Foods should be more concerned about them than about an animal that he called “basically an insect.” “People first, lobsters second,” White said. “Lobsters are for dinner.” The Boston Globe

“I don’t think WF is going overboard here. It’s awfully hard to know for certain what another being feels, and it’s rather patronizing to assume that you do know.”

“They are banning the sale of LIVE lobsters, not lobsters in general. Who wants to eat a lobster that has been in a state of stress for weeks anyway? Or maybe the big name chefs in New York don’t really care what the food tastes like? P.S. Whole Foods should start investigating the lives of the animals that turn into pork. It’s enough to put an omnivore off her feed.”

“Most ‘big name NY chefs’ dont get their lobsters from Whole Foods, anyway.”

“Maybe if we had to see all animals up close before they were killed, we’d find protein alternatives quickly. Imagine corrals of cows, sheep, chickens, and pigs in stores.”

“Scavenging and hunting are where we got the intelligence to give a crap about it in the first place.“