If you would like to send us an article, contact Margaret Stacey
McDonald’s uses its scale for good to advance fish sustainability.
McDonald's Releases Reel It In! Sustainable Fishing Card Game
(UNITED STATES, 6/15/2018)
McDonald’s is using its size and scale to advance sustainable fish sourcing as the industry standard, helping to protect long-term fish supplies and help improve the health of surrounding marine ecosystems.
Every Filet-O-Fish® sandwich served in the U.S. is made with Alaska pollock from the largest Marine Stewardship Council (MSC)-certified fishery in the world. Located in the Northeast Pacific Ocean, the fishery’s sustainability measures include avoiding capture of non-targeted fish – called bycatch – at one of the world’s lowest rates, 1 percent. Aside from the filets, the fishery also makes use of the entire fish for other purposes (including oil, roe and bones), resulting in zero waste, according to a report issued by the MSC and Genuine Alaska Pollock Producers.
Filet-O-Fish is one of McDonald's best-loved menu items, and the Sustainable Fisheries Program guides the company's global purchases of wild-caught fish to ensure that McDonald’s only uses sustainable sources.
In 2018, McDonald’s USA marks five years as the first and only global restaurant company to serve MSC-certified fish at every U.S. location. The Company works with MSC on a global level, too, so that every Filet-O-Fish® sandwich in every market comes from a sustainably managed fishery. It’s all part of building a better McDonald’s.
“The Marine Stewardship Council is proud to be a part of McDonald’s sustainability journey, and its dedication to supporting fishermen and companies doing the right thing,” said Brian Perkins, Regional Director Americas, MSC.
To underscore the company's commitment to sustainably managed fisheries and make the topic accessible for children, McDonald’s U.S. created “Reel It In!” – a card game about the importance of sustainable fishing that all generations of Filet-O-Fish fans can understand.
“Supporting communities that depend on fish, promoting sustainable practices and ensuring traceability along the supply chain through the MSC program help to ensure that our children and grandchildren will be able to enjoy seafood for generations to come.”
McDonald’s Commitment to Fish Sustainability
To underscore McDonald’s commitment to the issue and make the topic accessible for children, McDonald’s created “Reel It In!” – a card game intended to teach the importance of sustainable fishing to the next generation responsible for healthy oceans. The game, featuring colorful illustrations of Alaska pollock, is available to download online.
Since its start in 2001, McDonald’s global Sustainable Fisheries Program has grown to include purchasing standards, annual third-party assessments of all its fish suppliers and the purchase of all whitefish from sustainable fisheries.
Every Filet-O-Fish comes from sustainably managed fisheries, and McDonald's has made a commitment to source 100% of wild-caught fish from verified sustainable sources by 2020.
In 2011 and 2013, McDonald’s Europe and McDonald’s USA, respectively, elected to certify their more than 20,000 combined restaurants to the MSC Chain of Custody traceability standard. Today all of the Filet-O-Fish® portions served in Europe, U.S., Canada and Brazil bear the MSC-certified label and all whitefish used for McDonald’s Filet-O-Fish® globally is sourced from sustainably managed fisheries.
McDonald’s is committed to sourcing 100% of wild-caught fish globally from verified sustainable sources by 2020, and is working on a strategy to support the development of sustainability standards for aquaculture to guide future purchases.
“McDonald’s longstanding commitment to sustainable seafood sourcing has set an important industry standard and sends the message that science-based fisheries management is good for the environment, the economy, and people who love to eat fish,” said Matt Tinning, Associate Vice President of the Oceans program at Environmental Defense Fund.
“We commend them for their continued leadership and unwavering support for sustainable seafood.”
Learn more about how McDonald’s is using its scale for good to protect fish supplies and healthy oceans.
About McDonald's
McDonald’s is an American fast food company, founded in 1940 as a restaurant operated by Richard and Maurice McDonald, in San Bernardino, California, United States. They rechristened their business as a hamburger stand. The first time a McDonald's franchise used the Golden Arches logo was in 1953 at a location in Phoenix, Arizona. In 1955, Ray Kroc, a businessman, joined the company as a franchise agent and proceeded to purchase the chain from the McDonald brothers. McDonald's had its original headquarters in Oak Brook, Illinois, but moved its global headquarters to Chicago in early 2018.
All McDonald’s restaurants in Europe, Brazil, Canada and the United States are certified against the MSC Chain of Custody traceability standard.
McDonald's is the world's largest restaurant chain by revenue, serving over 69 million customers daily in over 100 countries across approximately 36,900 outlets as of 2016. Although McDonald's is known for its hamburgers, they also sell cheeseburgers, chicken products, french fries, breakfast items, soft drinks, milkshakes, wraps, and desserts. In response to changing consumer tastes and a negative backlash because of the unhealthiness of their food, the company has added to its menu salads, fish, smoothies, and fruit. The McDonald's Corporation revenues come from the rent, royalties, and fees paid by the franchisees, as well as sales in company-operated restaurants. According to a BBC report published in 2012, McDonald's is the world's second-largest private employer (behind Walmart with 1.9 million employees), 1.5 million of whom work for franchises.
(UNITED STATES, 6/15/2018)
Print
