October 5, 2021 — Major U.S. hospitality supplier Aramark is committing to increase local seafood sourcing in New England via a partnership with the Gulf of Maine Research Institute (GMRI).
Coinciding with the start of National Seafood Month, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.A.-based Aramark said in a press release that all of its higher education, healthcare, and business dining accounts in New England will pursue several local sustainable sourcing goals over the next three years.
February 5, 2021 — Foodservice supplier Aramark this week confirmed its boycott of AquaBounty’s genetically engineered AquAdvantage salmon.
Citing the company’s Sustainable Sourcing Policy, Aramark joins ranks with other foodservice leaders Compass Group and Sodexo, as well as a growing list of domestic retailers, seafood companies and restaurants.
“Reiterating our previously stated opposition to genetically engineered (GE) salmon, we will not purchase it should it come to market. Avoiding potential impacts to wild salmon populations and indigenous communities, whose livelihoods are deeply connected to and often dependent upon this vital resource, is core to our company’s commitment to making a positive impact on people and the planet,” Aramark’s policy states.
AquaBounty, a Massachusetts-based biotech firm, prepares to bring its gene-spliced salmon to market from its only U.S. farm in Albany, Ind., in a shifting domestic market that increasingly values origin, health and sustainability, and wild over farmed seafood.
September 5, 2018 — A group of U.S. non-governmental organizations have begun a nationwide campaign urging the nation’s three largest foodservice management companies to buy more local and community-based products, including seafood.
The Community Coalition for Real Meals, which includes the Northwest Atlantic Marine Alliance (NAMA), Friends of the Earth, and Real Food Challenge, say that Aramark, Compass Group, and Sodexo need to reorient their business models away from “a system of exclusive relationships with ‘Big Food’ corporations toward greater investments in real food that support producers, communities, and the environment,” according to one of the organization’s statements.
The coalition of farmers, fishers, farmworkers, and others kicked off the campaign with a march against Aramark at Western Washington University in Bellingham, Washington, on 2 September. In the next few months, the Coalition will be holding a series of coordinated actions across the country to urge Aramark, Compass Group, and Sodexo to meet their “real food” targets within five years.
“The reality we’re facing is that the globalized seafood market leads to massive consolidation, where the average seafood travels thousands of miles from point of harvest to point-of-consumption, and is fraught with labor and environmental destruction,” said Julianna Fischer, a NAMA community organizer. ”We envision a different reality – where ecologically responsible, community-based food producers are able to feed their communities first, are paid a fair price, and those working across the food chain are afforded lives with dignity.”
Aramark, Compass Group, and Sodexo, which together manage over half of the country’s cafeterias at universities, hospitals, and other institutions, purchase billions of dollars worth of food from “multinational corporations that pay workers and producers unlivable wages,” the coalition said in a press release.
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SEAFOODNEWS.COM [SeafoodNews] — October 16, 2015 — Major foodservice distributor Aramark plans to source all of its canned skipjack and albacore tuna products certified by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) by April 2016.
The $15 billion global supplier of food, facilities management, and uniforms, developed the plan in consultations with the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch program and the MSC. When the transition is complete in April 2016, Aramark will have converted an estimated 2.5 million pounds of tuna to sustainably sourced product.
“The Marine Stewardship Council congratulates Aramark on its commitment to source from MSC certified tuna fisheries. In making certified sustainable seafood available to its customers, Aramark is helping to raise consumer awareness about the importance of ensuring wild fish supplies for generations to come,” said Brian Perkins, MSC Regional Director, Americas.
All contracted canned tuna products Aramark purchases in the U.S. will meet green “Best Choice” or yellow “Good Alternative” by Seafood Watch recommendations: all skipjack canned tuna products will come from Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certified fisheries; and all albacore canned tuna products will be pole-and-line caught or from MSC certified fisheries, whenever available.
“Aramark is committed to providing our consumers with safe, high-quality, nutritious food that is sourced responsibly,” said Scott Barnhart, Senior Vice President, Global Supply Chain and Procurement, Aramark. “By transitioning to 100% sustainable canned tuna, we are strengthening our responsible sourcing practices, while delivering on our mission to enrich and nourish lives.”
This transition is the next significant step in Aramark’s sustainable seafood commitment. The company has already transitioned half of its total seafood purchases to sustainable sources. As of October 2014, 99% of frozen fin fish purchases met the Seafood Watch® “Best Choice” and “Good Alternative” recommendations.
“Aramark’s commitment is helping to transform the marketplace,” said Jennifer Dianto Kemmerly, Director of Seafood Watch®. “By creating more demand for seafood from ocean-friendly sources that protect sea life and habitats.”
This story originally appeared on SeafoodNews.com, a subscription site. It has been reprinted with permission.