Gimme that Filet-O-Fish. And make it with certified sustainable seafood.
Beginning in October, the 100 million or so fried fish sandwiches sold each year at the 7,000 McDonald’s locations around Europe will bear the Marine Stewardship Council’s blue eco label, certifying that they are made with sustainable seafood. The New York Times points out that the partnership between the London-based non-profit environmental organization and the world’s largest fast-food chain is one of the “highest-profile marine eco-labeling deals ever announced.”
“McDonald’s Europe’s decision to source white fish products exclusively from fisheries that have met the rigorous MSC standard for sustainability is a tremendous testament to the ability of our industry leaders to transform the seafood market and help drive changes on the water,” said the MSC’s CEO, Rupert Hughes, in a release. “This is a fantastic achievement and we hope that others will follow their lead.”
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Although the certification is currently limited to McDonald’s Europe, Joanna Trigg, a spokesperson for the chain in London, told the Times that “there have been some conversations” about broadening the deal to include restaurants in the U.S. And in the U.S., the Filet-o-Fish is primarily made using Alaska pollock, which meets the MSC’s certification standards and is considered a “well-managed,” “good alternative” by the Monterrey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch.
Environmentalists have generally greeted the news as a positive development, but there are concerns about New Zealand hoki, which is one of the four species of wild fish used in McDonald’s Europe’s filets. The Times reports that New Zealand hoki are caught by trawling the floors of the oceans, an environmentally damaging practice that has led some retailers to stop selling the fish.
“This is just one step,” Xavier Pastor of the marine conservation organization Oceana told the New York Times. “The definition and boundaries of sustainability still need to be sorted out, particularly regarding the labeling of products caught using destructive fishing practices.”
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Still, Pastor said, “This step, taken by a company with a volume of distribution as large as it has, shows the growing demand from the general public for more ecological sustainability in European fisheries and for the recovery of overexploited fish stocks.”
Other large scale restaurant and grocery chains have been making similar moves toward sustainability. Like McDonald’s, Burger King also uses the relatively well-managed Alaska pollock in its BK Fish. In the U.S., all fresh and frozen seafood products sold at Walmart and Sam’s Clubs must be certified sustainable according to Marine Stewardship Council or Best Aquaculture Practices. Kroger, Costco, and Supervalu are also using the MSC certification. On land, Chipotle has been leading the charge with 100% of its pork coming from naturally-raised sources since 2001. In recent years, the company increased its percentage of naturally-raised chicken and beef as well.
Source link : https://www.delish.com/food/news/a38581/european-mcdonalds-to-sell-sustainable-seafood/
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Publish date : 2011-06-15 07:00:00
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