Compass Group UK & Ireland, the UK’s largest food and support services company, has become the first major foodservice business to join the Sustainable Seafood Coalition (SSC), further demonstrating its commitment to using responsibly sourced fish.
Operating since 2011, the SSC is a partnership of UK businesses working to ensure a healthy future for our oceans. They work towards a vision that all fish and seafood sold in the UK comes from sustainable sources and all members commit to two codes of conduct on environmental issues.
Joining the SSC follows the launch earlier in the year of Compass’ Corporate Responsibility Report 2016, which outlined a commitment to avoid endangered species of fish, buy more certified fish every year through an existing partnership with the Marine Conservation Society and only use line and pole caught tuna in packaged sandwiches.
In a further move to meet its commitments on fish sourcing, Levy Restaurant UK, the sports, leisure and hospitality catering specialists and part of Compass Group UK & Ireland, signed up to the Sustainable Fish Cities pledge in August 2016, making the commitment to buy, serve and promote only sustainable fish at all its venues.
Duncan Gray, Head of Corporate Responsibility at Compass Group UK & Ireland said: “We love to serve excellent food and when it comes to seafood we know that a great seafood dish must be both delicious and sustainable. We’re proud to now be members of the Sustainable Seafood Coalition and extend our dedication to only using responsibly sourced fish across our business.”
Katie Miller, Sustainable Seafood Coalition coordinator, commented, “To have Compass Group UK & Ireland aligned to our vision is fantastic. They work behind the scenes at around 15,000 locations in so it’s brilliant to know people all across the UK will be eating responsibly sourced fish. Compass Group UK & Ireland is leading the way for other major foodservice businesses to step up their public commitments to seafood sustainability.”
Compass celebrated its membership to the SSC at an event held at a top client of Restaurant Associates, the fine dining division of Compass.
Focusing on the use of sustainable seafood, the event also celebrated the news that the client’s sites are to join the Sustainable Restaurant Association (SRA), the body behind the ‘Food Made Good’ accreditation, and has worked in collaboration with Direct Seafoods to demonstrate the importance of sustainably sourcing seafood.
Using only sustainable seafood, the Restaurant Associates team on-site provided a menu of soft herb crusted cod, pan seared hake or garlic & lemon steamed mussels for those in attendance on 26 July.
Tom Tanner, Press & PR, Sustainable Restaurant Association, commented, “We welcome these sites joining the SRA at this special celebratory event. Sustainable sourcing of seafood is an important issue to address so it is great to see a top business responding to the matter at hand. The menu put on by the Restaurant Associates team showed how great tasting meals can be created using only sustainable products.”