Great results for MSC sustainable seafood

Results from recent surveys have shown customers are keen to know that fish served in restaurants and take-aways has been sustainably sourced. The interest from from the sector overall is of steady growth, with increasing numbers of fish and chip restaurants in particular gaining MSC Chain of Custody certification.

Research by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) showed that 63% of customers believe that it is important for restaurants to have sustainable options on seafood.

Further research by the Sustainable Restaurant Association (SRA) confirms that diners care about how their fish has been sourced and will pay more for sustainable meals. Almost half (43%) of those surveyed would pay up to 10% more for their meal and 84% want the restaurant to communicate more about their sustainability. Where the meals cost in excess of £30 per head, diners expected high standards of sourcing – 62% thought that all fish at those restaurants should be from sustainable sources.

Your suppliers will probably tell you that all of their fish is sustainably sourced but that’s not enough for your customers. They want to know more than that: they want evidence and – if possible – proof.

The MSC is the leading standard for wild-caught sustainable seafood. When you see the MSC name, or label on a box of fish, that’s an independent reassurance about the sustainability and provenance of the fish. Every MSC-certified fish can be traced right back through the supply chain to an independently certified sustainable source, with an assurance that every link in the supply chain has been certified for traceability - from the ocean to the plate. 

MSC certified fisheries are delivering environmental improvements 

Whether buying cod and chips, a tin of tuna or a Michelin-starred meal, shoppers choosing MSC-labelled seafood are helping to create a wave of sustainable fishing practices around the world, according to a recent report, published by the Marine Stewardship Council. 

In the MSC Global Impacts Report 2013, environmental scientists Dr David Agnew and Dr Nicolas Gutierrez identified almost 400 improvements in MSC certified fisheries with the average improvement action plan taking only three years to complete.

The MSC is the only seafood certification program to be carrying out this sort of performance evaluation at present.