Sodexo Commits to Sustainable Seafood

GAITHERSBURG, Md.Sodexo, Inc., announced its  a commitment to have 100 percent of its contracted fresh and frozen seafood certified as sustainable by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) or Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) by 2015.

This Sustainable Seafood Initiative is part of Sodexo's larger, 14-part  Better Tomorrow Plan.

"Sodexo touches the lives of over 10 million people daily," said Ann Oka, senior vice president, supply management at Sodexo. "When we implemented the Better Tomorrow Plan we knew we had the ability to affect not only our sustainable seafood policies but to educate and influence clients and consumers about the impact of their choices. We believe our Sustainable Seafood Initiative is unparalleled and can truly make a positive impact on the health of the world's oceans and fisheries, as well as providing consumers a better choice in seafood."

The Sustainable Seafood Initiative is based on five principles:

1. Maintain a wide variety of species in Sodexo's catalogues and menus
2. Ban species at risk and implement control measures for others
3. Increase use of Eco-standards or labels
4. Set up supply for sustainable aquaculture
5. Develop sourcing according to an established technical agreement between Sodexo and WWF

Sodexo plans to team with the Marine Stewardship Council and the Global Aquaculture Alliance to review all wild-caught and farm-raised seafood purchases and help identify the sustainability of its seafood supply. In addition, Sodexo will be partnering with NSF Surefish, a third-party seafood product inspection and facility auditing service; CleanFish, an organization that brings eco-friendly artisan producers together and markets their products under traceable, transparent brands; and Koch Foods, a foodservice sales and marketing company that will assist with program activation with Sodexo customers.