Busch Entertainment Corp. announced on Tuesday that it is using the Global Aquaculture Alliance’s (GAA) Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) logo on all menus, advertising and other promotional literature to indicate that its seafood products are produced in a sustainable manner.
“Like many leaders in the foodservice and retail business, Busch understands the importance of corporate social responsibility, and this decision is evidence of not just talking the talk but walking the walk,” said GAA Executive Director Wally Stevens.
The decision was more than six months in the making, so that both Busch and the GAA could “ensure that there was credibility and that each brand was used appropriately,” said Stevens. “We both did our homework.”
As a result, the millions of people who visit Sea World, Busch Gardens, Sesame Place and the other Busch venues will see the BAP logo. Busch Entertainment Corp. is the family-entertainment division of beer maker Anhaeuser-Busch.
“Millions of people seeing the BAP logo on menus and in printed materials — it’s going to be pretty huge,” Stevens said.
The seafood that will bear the BAP logo on Busch menus will include one or more of the three that are currently certified: shrimp, tilapia and channel catfish. BAP standards for salmon and pangasius are under development.
“A journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step. We’re talking about consumer awareness being measured in steps and the journey being thousands of miles, so we’ve got a long way to go, but it’s a start,” Stevens said.
Stevens added that there are several “major” foodservice operators in talks with GAA about carrying BAP-certified seafood products.
