McDonald’s Canada today announced that 100 per cent of the fish it serves in its Filet-O-Fish is now certified as sustainable by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC). McDonald’s Canada has purchased fish from MSC certified fisheries for nearly a decade and recently completed MSC’s third-party Chain of Custody process to further solidify the company’s commitment to maintaining the health of the world’s oceans by supporting sustainable fishing practices.
MSC is the world's leading certification and ecolabelling program for sustainable wild caught seafood and the logo can only be used after rigorous, independent third-party verification. The MSC’s Chain of Custody process traces the fish, used in McDonald’s Filet-O-Fish, from the restaurant where it’s served, back through the supply chain. The fisheries that McDonald’s Canada’s supplier sources from are MSC certified and have been assessed by independent scientists against three core principles: the health of the fish stock, the impact of the fishery on the ecosystem and the management system that oversees the fishery.
“Partnering with the Marine Stewardship Council is a critical part of our sustainability and environmental stewardship journey and its ecolabel is a way for us to engage and involve our customers in this important issue,” said Sherry MacLauchlan, Director of Government Relations and Sustainability for McDonald’s Canada. “We’re committed to offering our customers quality, sustainably-sourced menu choices and to looking at ways to incorporate positive environmental practices throughout our supply chain.”
“We applaud McDonald’s Canada and their nearly decade-long efforts to support sustainable fishing practices and help maintain the health of the world’s oceans,” said Geoff Bolan, Americas Region Commercial Director for the Marine Stewardship Council. “Having the MSC ecolabel on Filet-O-Fish packaging in every Canadian McDonald’s restaurant will significantly contribute to the MSC mission of using its certification and ecolabel program to recognize and reward sustainable fishing practices, influencing the choices people make when buying seafood and working with our partners to transform the seafood market to a sustainable basis.”
McDonald’s Canada uses MSC certified wild-caught Alaska pollock for its Filet-O-Fish and is one of the largest purchasers of the fish in the Canadian foodservice industry. McDonald’s Canada joins McDonald’s Europe and McDonald’s U.S.A. in receiving MSC certification. For more information about McDonald’s Canada’s sustainable sourcing practices visit: http://www.mcdonalds.ca/ca/en/communities/environment/sourcing.html