Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Box 17.2 A Seafood Watch Food Service Partnership
In 2001 Seafood Watch partnered with Bon Appetit Management Company,
the first national US food service company, to develop a sustainable seafood
purchasing policy. In 2002 the policy was fully implemented among the com-
pany's 400 sites ranging from corporate cafes to university dining programmes
in 29 states. Based on this success, Bon Appetit created a non-profit foundation
in 2005 to explore other sustainability initiatives and help promote sustainable
seafood purchasing among the food service community. In partnership with
the Bon Appetit Management Company Foundation, Seafood Watch secured a
commitment from Bon Appetit's parent company - Compass Group Americas
Division, a food service giant ranked number one by revenue in 2006 in the US
with more than 8000 sites in 2005, according to Food Management magazine.
Compass Group's US subsidiaries implemented the following policy in 2006:
Shift purchases of Atlantic cod to Pacific cod, pollock or other sustainable
alternative.
Promote 'best choices' according to Seafood Watch guidelines
Eliminate all 'avoid' list species (see exception below).
Reduce usage of farmed salmon and (imported) farmed shrimp by 20%.
Support positive changes in the aquaculture industry.
Successful implementation means that more than £1 million of seafood will
be sourced from environmentally responsible fisheries and fish farms. To help
ensure compliance, we provide updated seafood sourcing information, educa-
tional resources and advice in the development of training materials. Strong
communication with and among relevant corporate personnel has been critical
for maintaining momentum around the commitment. We have also forged re-
lationships with their seafood purveyors and procurement officers to remove
items from purchasing lists and identified alternative sources. Finally, working
with partners in the sustainable seafood movement, we continue to identify new
sources of environmentally responsible seafood. In the future we aim to con-
tinue to strengthen the Compass Group Americas Division commitment while
creating resources and opportunities for similar commitments by the broader
food service industry.
however, that the food service industry's customers may be more accepting of
replacements for various types of fish than are the customers at a white-tablecloth
restaurant. For example, pollock, Pacific cod or tilapia could all be used for a
breaded fish sandwich at a university cafe instead of Atlantic cod. Whereas a high-
end restaurant in New England may have a more challenging time substituting the
same products for one of their regional favourites.
We also learned that our partners were very willing to leverage their purchasing
power to ensure access to a viable supply of sustainable seafood. Typically, the
Search WWH ::
Custom Search