Service company Sodexo has announced a new Marine Stewardship Council (MSC)-certified sustainable seafood program, to be implemented through many of Sodexo’s clients in North America.
Participating corporate, university and public institutions Sodexo works with have obtained MSC chain of custody certification for seafood sold there. Locations in the greater Washington, D.C. area include National Geographic, George Mason University and the International Monetary Fund.
"Sodexo's commitment to seafood sustainability is significant and is helping to transform the global seafood market to a more sustainable basis," said Kerry Coughlin, MSC Americas region director. "By obtaining MSC Chain of Custody certification and displaying the MSC eco-label, Sodexo is assuring consumers the seafood they are purchasing is the seafood identified, comes from a MSC certified sustainable fishery and can be traced from their plate to that fishery."
The company said in a release that it hopes to expand the program beyond Washington, delivering sustainable seafood to all its estimated 15 million customers throughout North America.
"We have a unique opportunity to leverage the scale of our supply chain in an approach to seafood procurement that benefits consumers and communities alike," said Deborah Hecker, VP of sustainability and corporate social responsibility at Sodexo. "The future of wild caught seafood depends on recognizing and rewarding sustainable fishing practices. This program helps our clients and consumers do that."