Affordable, Easy, Everyday Seafood at Whole Foods Market® Helps Families Get Their Weekday Groove On

Frozen Seafood Is the Perfect High Quality, Heart-Healthy Protein Choice for Weeknight Meals or Weekday Lunch Boxes

For families returning to the back-to-school and work routines while trying to eat healthy on a budget, Whole Foods Market (NASDAQ: WFMI), the world’s leading natural and organic foods supermarket, offers a tasty yet simple solution: high quality, frozen seafood. From Key West pink shrimp to mahi mahi fillets, the Company’s Whole Catch™ and 365 Everyday Value™ frozen seafood choices pack a delicious and heart-healthy protein punch in a jiffy.

According to a recent Whole Foods Market survey*, 79 percent of U.S. adults say they do not want to compromise on the quality of the food they buy. The survey also found many adults (43 percent) are now preparing more meals at home. For families not willing to sacrifice quality and convenience, frozen seafood can provide an easy weekday meal or quick make-ahead lunch at an easy-to-digest price.

Whole Foods Market offers these simple meal suggestions for enjoying seafood this fall:

* Create mix-n-match kabobs using a bottled marinade. Pair a tropical marinade like Jamaican jerk with value-priced Whole Catch Swordfish Steaks ($7.49 for two) or Tuna Steaks ($6.49 for two), cubed and interspersed with sliced pineapple and red onion. Grill them up and serve over couscous or quinoa for a quick, complete meal. Double the ingredients and stuff into a pita or tortilla so the entire family has lunch the next day.

* Sockeye salmon is a longtime customer favorite. Whole Foods Market offers a frozen hand-filleted Whole Catch version that comes in two six-ounce, individually wrapped portions at a bargain price ($7.99 for two) and is certified by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), a nonprofit working to ensure an ongoing, well-managed supply of wild-caught seafood around the world. Since salmon lends itself so well to a variety of cooking methods, this is a great one to store in the freezer for quick, healthy meals that are high in Omega-3 oils. Enjoy salmon fillets baked or sautéed in a lemon ginger butter sauce or honey Dijon glaze with a side of steamed garlicky greens and crusty bread.

* Pasta serves as a delicious canvas for creative-yet-inexpensive meals when enjoyed with Whole Catch Wild Patagonian Scallops or Wild Key West Pink Shrimp. The traditional and timeless Spaghetti Aglio e Olio, or Spaghetti with Garlic and Oil, makes preparation a breeze. Simply toss hot pasta with lots of garlic sautéed in extra-virgin olive oil, seasoned with a little crushed red pepper and finished with grated Pecorino Romano cheese. Top the pasta with sautéed shrimp or scallops, which take just a few minutes to cook. Both the scallops and shrimp are individually quick-frozen for optimum freshness and thaw-what-you-need convenience. The succulent, sweet scallops ($6.99 per pound) are harvested from an MSC-certified fishery from the cold waters of Argentina. The pink shrimp ($9.99 per pound) have a lobster-like flavor and firm texture and are harvested from the crystal clear waters of the Florida Keys. As an added bonus, the shrimp are peeled and de-veined to save home cooks time and effort.

* For a lunchbox favorite that’s easily turned into a family meal, shoppers need to look no further than Whole Foods Market’s easy, heat-and-serve lightly breaded hoki fish, available in three 365 Everyday Value varieties: fish fillets, fish sticks and fish nuggets. Hoki is a mild whitefish that is also MSC-certified. For less than $5, the nuggets and fish sticks make perfect kid-style dippers with tartar sauce or ketchup. For dinner, they make a delicious 20-minute meal when turned into fish po’ boys or fish tacos with crunchy slaw.

“We have shellfish, fish fillets and steaks, and even breaded seafood nuggets that can be prepared in just minutes for families large or small,” said David Pilat, global seafood coordinator for Whole Foods Market. “In addition to great value, the best thing about our frozen seafood is that we do the homework for our shoppers – sourcing sustainable wild seafood from MSC-certified fisheries when possible, as well as from seafood farms that meet the highest aquaculture standards in the industry – ours!”