Saving Seafood

As UN’s SDG14 targets approach, MSC’s Seafood Futures Forum highlights path forward

April 24, 2019 — There’s just one year left to deliver the 2020 targets for the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals for Life Below Water (SDG14), and the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) is making a concerted push to reach those goals.

The MSC’s efforts to help the world reach the goals in SDG14 is a big topic at this year’s Seafood Futures Forum, taking place at Seafood Expo Global in Brussels, Belgium on 8 May, from 8 to 11 a.m. Central European Time. The forum is an opportunity for members of both the seafood industry and of environmental NGOs and conservation groups to come together to both get an update on MSC’s current and future efforts to address unsustainable fishing and to discuss what each sector can do to help.

“This year’s Seafood Futures Forum will cut through the talk to explore how the seafood industry and ocean conservation community can work together to deliver meaningful change,” Dr. Yemi Oloruntuyi, head of accessibility at the MSC and a panelist at the forum, said.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

ASC, MSC predict bright future for seafood certification programs

May 1, 2017 — The Seafood Futures Forum, hosted by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) and the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) at the 2017 Seafood Expo Global last week, proved to be a powerful forum for a discussion on how to safeguard seafood for future generations.

Hosted by MSC CEO Rupert Howes ASC CEO Chris Ninnes, the event included a panel forum featuring Mars Petcare, Sanford, Simplot and Aqua Spark. Panelists discussed how producing and sourcing certified seafood was beneficial to their businesses, and why collaboration is essential if the seafood industry wants to provide increasingly sustainable seafood.

The participating panellists also outlined their own commitments to sustainability – Mars Petcare has committed to using only fish from sustainable sources for its pet food by 2020, while 97 percent of Simplot’s John West Australia tuna products contain MSC-certified tuna, representing 43 percent of all canned tuna in Australia, and the company has just launched the first ever MSC-certified canned tuna in New Zealand.

Judith Kontny, international corporate social responsibility manager at Lidl, set the scene with her keynote speech, explaining the retailer’s strategy on responsible and sustainable seafood. Lidl was one of the first large retailers to build sustainability into its procurement process and continues to seek ways to improve its performance, she said.

In Germany for example, from January 2017, Lidl has only sold MSC certified products in its permanent, own-brand, fresh- and frozen-fish range, and from January 2018, will only sell farmed seafood products certified by either ASC or certified organic.

However, Kontny said this still leaves challenges in meeting consumer demand. She urged MSC and ASC to actively encourage certification of a greater range of species.

“We are eager to sell more certified species, notably octopus and squid,” she said.

Kontny also called on the ASC and MSC to engage more with consumers in Eastern and Southern Europe to help them understand the need for responsible and sustainable seafood.

“We noted considerable success in Portugal using a flyer campaign and in-store tastings and talks,” she said. “This was a new area for us, but consumers reacted favorably and left with a greater understanding of the need to choose sustainable seafood.”

Read the full story at SeafoodSource.com