News
UU直播 food and dining to serve sustainable seafood
Becomes first Canadian university to receive certification from Marine Stewardship Council
Published: 11 April 2013
Beginning immediately, UU直播 students, faculty, staff and visitors will be able to support sustainably managed fisheries by choosing MSC certified seafood in four dining halls on campus, where students will enjoy MSC certified Alaska Pacific Cod from the Gulf of Alaska, Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands, MSC certified Northern shrimp from the Gulf of St. Lawrence, MSC certified Alaska flatfish from the Gulf of Alaska and MSC certified flatfish from the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands. UU直播 Food and Dining Services serves only sustainable seafood, with MSC certified species accounting for 40 per cent of all seafood served.
听
Kerry Coughlin, MSC Americas Regional Director, said: 鈥淯U直播 is known around the world for its academic excellence and thought leadership, and with students coming from 150 countries, adopting the global Marine Stewardship Council program will send a powerful message about the importance of seafood sustainability. Academic institutions have a unique ability to play a key role in increasing consumer engagement to make a positive contribution to the health of the world鈥檚 oceans and we welcome UU直播 into the MSC program.鈥�
听
鈥�UU直播 Food and Dining Services is thrilled to be the first university dining program in Canada to receive the Marine Stewardship Council certification,鈥� said Mathieu Laperle, Director, Food and Hospitality Services. 鈥淭oday, only two years after creating our Strategic Plan on Sustainability, a new milestone has been reached in terms of听sustainable purchases, reinforcing our position as听a leader in the field among academic institutions.听The MSC certification is a natural extension of our commitment and we look forward to a long lasting collaboration between all those involved in the process.鈥�
听
One unique element of UU直播鈥檚 seafood certification process is the key role played by students. Kickstarted by a capstone class project in UU直播鈥檚 School of Environment, the certification effort was picked up by some passionate students who, supported by UU直播鈥檚 Sustainability Projects Fund, were able to work in partnership with UU直播 Food and Dining Services to see the certification through to completion.
听
鈥淚 feel that this accomplishment is a true testament to the power that applied student research and other forms of experiential learning really have,鈥� said William Agnew (BA 鈥�11), a member of the original student research team who worked on the project for over two years. 鈥淔urthermore, it is a great example of how collaboration with UU直播 faculty and administration can help students achieve exciting things in their community and extend learning far beyond the classroom.鈥�
听
The MSC certification process includes an assessment conducted by a third-party certifier as well as training of front line staff.听 MSC鈥檚 Chain of Custody system assures that in every step of the chain 鈥� from the fishers, to the processor, to the distributor and the end-user 鈥� MSC certified seafood is not mixed with or substituted for non-certified seafood. In UU直播鈥檚 case this Chain of Custody includes food service provider ARAMARK Canada and suppliers Sysco and GFS Canada.
听
The MSC standard is based on three core principles: health of the stock; impact on the marine ecosystem; and management of the fishery. The distinctive blue MSC ecolabel is a trust-mark to buyers and consumers worldwide confirming that the seafood comes from a sustainable fishery that has achieved MSC certification.
听
The certification was led by UU直播 Food and Dining Services Executive Chef, Operations and Sustainability, Oliver De Volpi, who said: 鈥淭he certification is a collaborative effort which stemmed from applied student research. We are thankful to our staff, our suppliers, the MSC organization, and all who have contributed in making this endeavor possible.鈥�
听
鈥淭he success in obtaining the MSC certification is one of many examples of the creative ways people from various parts of the UU直播 community are coming together to create a vision for a sustainable future on our campus and beyond,鈥� said Martin Krayer von Krauss, Manager of UU直播鈥檚 Office of Sustainability. 鈥淚t is a wonderful illustration of how people with great ideas, when given the necessary resources, can bring about change.鈥�
听
For more information about the Marine Stewardship Council, visit: msc.org
