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From today, all fish products served in McDonald’s UK restaurants will carry the official Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) ecolabel.
The blue logo printed on the packaging of the Filet-O-Fish and Fish Fingers items represents the company’s ongoing commitment to sustainable sourcing and shows that all fish used by McDonald’s UK is fully traceable from sea to restaurant.
McDonald’s UK has been using sustainably sourced fish in all of its fish products since 2001, but the MSC certification logo is now being added to recognise that its entire supply chain is formally certified against the MSC Chain of Custody traceability standard - McDonald’s is the first company in its sector to introduce MSC certified white fish throughout Europe.
Over 50% of the world’s marine fish stocks are fully exploited*. The MSC is an independent global organisation set up to promote solutions to the problem of overfishing by recognising and rewarding well managed and sustainable fisheries through its certification and eco-labelling programme.
Last year, McDonald’s sold approximately 18 million Filet-O-Fish and eight million Fish Finger portions in the UK alone. Both products use Hoki - a white fish, sourced from fisheries in the Southern Hemisphere.
Jill McDonald, chief executive McDonald’s UK said: “McDonald’s has long been a champion of sustainable fishing and with our restaurants serving nearly three million customers each day we’re delighted that our commitment to environmental standards will help us keep fish on the McDonald’s menu for generations to come.”
Rupert Howes, CEO of the Marine Stewardship Council, said: “We are delighted to see that the first MSC labelled Filet-O-Fish have been launched in McDonald’s UK restaurants this month. McDonald’s Europe’s decision to source white fish products exclusively from fisheries that have met the rigorous MSC standard for sustainability is a tremendous testament to the ability of our industry leaders to transform the seafood market and help drive changes on the water. We’re delighted all of McDonald’s Filet-O-Fish in Europe will be MSC certified and McDonald’s is making sustainable fish so widely available.”
Achieving the MSC traceability standard is the latest landmark in McDonald’s drive for improved quality and sustainability in its agricultural supply chain. McDonald’s UK also only use free-range eggs, 100% British and Irish beef, and The Rainforest Alliance and Utz Certified logo appeared on the 95 million cups of coffee served in their UK restaurants last year.
* The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture 2010, The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations.
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