SEAFOODNEWS.COM [SCOM] — June 17, 2014 — McDonald's Canada can now boast that 100 percent of the wild-caught Alaska pollock the company uses in its Fish-O-Filet sandwiches is certified by the Marine Stewardship Council.
The annoucement follows McDonald's Canada's ten year commitment to the MSC program. Just recently the company said it had completed another third-party Chain of Custody process that further solidified its commitment to sustainable fishing practices. McDonald’s Canadian arm now joins with its European and US operations in receiving the certification.
“Partnering with the Marine Stewardship Council is a critical part of our sustainability and environmental stewardship journey and its ecolabel is a way for us to engage and involve our customers in this important issue,” said Sherry MacLauchlan, Director of Government Relations and Sustainability for McDonald’s Canada.
Under the certification, the MSC said the fisheries that McDonald’s Canada’s supplier sources from have been assessed by independent scientists against three core principles: the health of the fish stock, the impact of the fishery on the ecosystem and the management system that oversees the fishery.
“We applaud McDonald’s Canada and their nearly decade-long efforts to support sustainable fishing practices and help maintain the health of the world’s oceans,” said Geoff Bolan, Americas Region Commercial Director for the Marine Stewardship Council.
Now that 100 percent of the McDonald's Canada's fish is certified, all of its Fish-O-Filet products will feature the MSC's blue ecolabel.
“Having the MSC ecolabel on Filet-O-Fish packaging in every Canadian McDonald’s restaurant will significantly contribute to the MSC mission of using its certification and ecolabel program to recognize and reward sustainable fishing practices, influencing the choices people make when buying seafood and working with our partners to transform the seafood market to a sustainable basis.”
McDonald’s Canada uses MSC certified wild-caught Alaska pollock for its Filet-O-Fish and is one of the largest purchasers of the fish in the Canadian foodservice industry.
“We’re committed to offering our customers quality, sustainably-sourced menu choices and to looking at ways to incorporate positive environmental practices throughout our supply chain," said MacLauchlan.
This story originally appeared on Seafood.com. a subscription site. It is reprinted with permission.