MSC & ASC: Rio 2016 Serves up Responsibly Sourced Seafood
July 30 2016 - 1:00PM
Business Wire
Attendees of the Olympic and Paralympic Games will enjoy
sustainably and responsibly sourced seafood, thanks to an
extraordinary effort by the Rio 2016 Olympic Organizing Committee
and its partners.
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More than 70 tonnes, equivalent to more than 350,000 portions,
of seafood served to athletes and media at the Games will come from
fisheries or farms which meet the requirements of the Marine
Stewardship Council (MSC) or Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC).
This represents the most sustainable seafood offering to date of
any Olympic or Paralympic Games.
Seafood served with the green ASC or blue MSC label can be
traced right back to fisheries and farmers that are independently
certified as meeting globally recognized standards for sustainable
wild fishing or responsible farming. The fishers and farmers who
produce this seafood go to great lengths to reduce their impacts on
the environment, preserve oceans and safeguard seafood supplies for
the future.
Julie Duffus, Sustainability Manager at the Rio 2016
Organising Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games said:
“Millions of people attending this year’s Games will be able to
enjoy sustainably and responsibly sourced seafood knowing that they
are helping to support thriving fishing and farming communities and
to protect the environment. By choosing seafood with the MSC or ASC
label they will reward responsible producers from around the
world.”
Included on various menus within the Olympic Village, Media
Village and media centres are: ASC certified responsibly farmed
Brazilian tilapia from Netuno and Chilean salmon from Los Fiordos;
and MSC certified wild-caught Icelandic cod from Visir and Canadian
chum salmon for Albion. McDonalds Brazil will also serve 100% MSC
certified Argentine hoki in its McFish sandwiches throughout Brazil
during the Games.
Delivering its commitment to sustainably and responsibly sourced
seafood has required the Rio 2016 Olympic Organizing Committee and
its partners to bring new supplies of certified seafood to Brazil.
As a result, numerous farms and fisheries across the region have
taken steps to improve their environmental performance in order to
meet the industry leading standards set by the MSC and ASC.
Duffus said: “The Olympic and Paralympic Games are unique
in their ability to bridge cultural divides, reach a broad audience
and generate a sense of fellowship and possibility. We hope that
this commitment will have a lasting legacy of sustainable sourcing
and seafood consumption in Brazil.”
Rupert Howes, Chief Executive of the MSC said: “The
volume of sustainably sourced seafood at this year’s Olympic and
Paralympic Games shows what is possible when suppliers, caterers
and the public work together to support sustainable choices for
people and the planet. MSC certified fisheries currently catch
around one tenth of all wild seafood. We hope to see this
proportion grow as recognition of the importance of sustainable
seafood increases.”
Chris Ninnes, Chief Executive of the ASC said: “With this
landmark commitment by the Games, local suppliers and caterers can
showcase the best of Brazilian cuisine to a global audience and
create lasting change by emphasising the importance of making the
right choice when buying seafood. With more than 1 million tonnes
of ASC certified product in the market, the public can join the
effort to preserve fish for future generations by buying from
producers who share their goals to protect vital ecosystems and
care for those who work on the farms and live in surrounding
communities.”
#ENDS#
Notes to editors:
About the Rio 2016 Olympic Organizing Committee’s commitment
to sustainably and responsibility sourced seafood:
The Rio 2016 Olympic Organizing Committee shares a common vision
with the ASC and MSC to conserve, protect, enhance and support
natural resources, including biological diversity worldwide. It is
with these goals in mind that the committee pledged to feature
responsibly farmed and sustainably caught seafood at the Rio 2016
Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Watch a video about the Rio 2016 sustainable seafood
commitment >
About the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC)
The Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) is an international
non-profit organization that sets environmental and social standard
for certifying responsible and well-managed fish farms. It
contributes to ensuring availability of seafood, the health of the
ocean and fresh water ecosystems and the livelihoods of local
communities that rely of the farms for the long term.
The ASC works with its partners to provide a globally
recognised, market-oriented programme that drives meaningful
improvements in the aquaculture industry. Farms are assessed
against the standard by independent, third-party auditors who use
threshold performance indicators to measure farm performance in
areas including the use of water resources and pest management. The
standards also address social issues related to a company's
engagement and support of local communities and workplace quality
for employees.
asc-aqua.org
About the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC)
The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) is an international
non-profit organization. Its vision is for the world’s oceans to be
teeming with life, and seafood supplies safeguarded for this and
future generations. The blue MSC label and certification program
recognizes and rewards sustainable fishing practices and is helping
create a more sustainable seafood market.
The MSC Fisheries Standard for sustainable wild-capture
fisheries is widely recognized as the most credible and robust,
science-based standard for the assessment of sustainable fishing.
To achieve this standard, fisheries must demonstrate to independent
auditors that they ensure sustainable fish populations; reduce
their impacts on the environment; and have management systems in
place to ensure their long term sustainability.
msc.org
Ocean to plate traceability
Seafood sold with the blue MSC or green ASC labels is traceable
to a sustainable fishery or responsible farm. Supply chain
businesses must identify and separate MSC and ASC certified product
at every step in the supply chain.
Find out more about ocean to plate sustainability
>
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version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160730005003/en/
ASC contact:Sun Bragesun.brage@asc-aqua.org+31 (0) 30
2305 692orMSC contact:Jo Millerjo.miller@msc.org+44 (0) 7515
329614orASC and MSC contact in Rio:Laurent Viguié
laurent.viguie@msc.org / laurent.viguie@asc-aqua.org+55 (0) 71
999179679