Sustainability Projects Fund:
MFDS Marine Stewardship Certification –
Follow-up Report
Original goals & intentions:
McGill Food and Dining Service’s original intention in this project was to
follow the recommendations of an MSE 401 Student Research Group that studied
the realm of sustainable seafood. The group’s set of researched suggestions included
pursuing the Marine Stewardship Council Certification, which is a respected
organization that creates and monitors sustainable seafood fishing methods and
choices. Receiving this certification would further commit MFDS to investing and
supporting sustainable seafood, and would make McGill University the first postsecondary education institution to be officially affiliated with the MSC mark.
Additionally, the process would improve the sustainability of one of MFDS’s
purchasing sectors – seafood.
MFDS actually began to change their seafood purchasing practices about
three years ago, soon after the 401 Research Group offered some feasible alternative
seafood sourcing options. After being pleased with the changes, Oliver Devolpi & his
team have decided to commit further and become MSC certified.
This certification would officially signify that MFDS supports and rewards
sustainable fisheries, sustainable seafood companies, scientists, and conservation
groups.
Final accomplishments:
MFDS dining halls became MSC certified on February 11th of 2013, becoming
the first Canadian post-secondary institution to be recognized by the MSC for its
commitment to serving sustainable seafood. A small launch followed in the month
after, and MFDS is planning another launch, expected to occur this fall 2013, to
increase MSC awareness around campus. At the moment, about 40% of all of MFDS’s
purchasing is MSC certified seafood.
The certification process took remarkably longer than expected, because
every supplier & partner affiliated with MFDS/Aramark & their seafood purchasing
had to also become MSC certified. In this way, MFDS’s decision to become MSC
certified affected numerous entities related to their supply chain.
Lessons Learnt:
Because MFDS was the first of this type of institution to commit to this
process and label, there were no previous mistakes to learn from. Part of the
intention of this project was to be a leader on committing to sustainable seafood. As
of yet, MFDS is unsure if many other similar institutions have followed their lead,
and that factor will play into whether MFDS views this endeavor as a true success.
This project exemplified the benefits of learning from other projects before
launching into one’s own. It was great to be able to be a leader in this certification,
but there were quite a few unexpected roadblocks through the process. Additionally,
it is still difficult to find the full variety of seafood needed in MFDS kitchens, as MSC
certified seafood. This indicates that there is still a lot of progress to be made in
expanding the MSC label.
Challenges & Failures encountered, how they were addressed,
recommendations on a project replica:
The main challenges included in this project included dealing with the
certification process between 4 different kitchens & kitchen teams, and waiting for
the entire supply chain upon which MFDS is dependent to also agree and complete
the certification. There were a few occasions when communications and standards
could have been communicated more clearly to all staff members.
One positive aspect of the project organization was that Will Agnew, a
member of the original Seafood Research group, led the majority of the work on the
project, and thus was better able to focus & organize the details.
Lastly, it is unsure as to if the final “MSC Launch” went as well as it could
have. Due to this, MFDS feels that a second launch would help inform the community
and it’s significance, and thus is hoping to host this in the next few months.
Impact Metrics: Project Specific & Aggregate
-Academically: There were seven people in the original 401 Research Group, all of
whom were informed about the conclusion of their project, and one of which, Will
Agnew, who actually saw the project entirely through and worked on it’s
completion.
-Community: Within the student and residence community, this project has raised a
lot of awareness about sustainable seafood purchasing. This is especially important
in Residence Dining Halls, as one of MFDS’s hopes is that they can inform &
influence students to make better and more sustainable decisions once they are
living on their own. MSC certified seafood is actually very comparably priced, and
sold broadly across many grocery stores.
-Media: There are at least 5 external sources that decided to publish articles
regarding this accomplishment, applauding McGill’s decision.
-Seafood Purchasing: Since the certification in February and October 1st, and
between the 4 locations, over 1700 kilograms of MSC certified seafood has been
purchased, totaling to over $26,000 spent in sustainable seafood purchasing.