Recently I was indulging away on a McDonald’s Filet-O-Fish sandwich when I noticed that the side of its box had this sustainable fish labelling. “Wow”, I thought, “when did McDonald’s quietly get any sort of sustainability certification?” I never would have thought that McDonald’s, of all companies, would engage in sustainable sourcing, when their focus has been promoting a “healthier” menu? (Healthy fast food, I know, it’s ironic.)
Source: Google Images (because I can’t find the picture that I’d originally taken)
So I went and looked up what this “MSC certified sustainable fish” was all about. MSC stands for Marine Stewardship Council. They govern certification for sustainable seafood. Turns out that back in 2013, McDonald’s USA had become the first national restaurant chain in the United States to serve certified, sustainably sourced fish in all of its American* locations. In fact, they’ve been using sustainable fishing practices for 10 years already, and on this 10th year, decided to adopt the blue label that MSC uses, on its fish sandwich packaging. So now 100% of all fish products sold in McDonald’s is certified sustainable by MSC. The Filet-O-Fish sandwich uses certified wild-caught Alaska polluck. That’s the only fish product in McDonald’s Canada. Others exist south of the border.
I’m really glad that McDonald’s is taking a sustainable approach to their supply chain. To be honest, I have a secret soft spot for McDonald’s. When made “fresh”, the food actually does taste good. Take this sandwich I had the other day that allowed me to discover the MSC blue label; I had to wait an extra 5 minutes because they were making a new filets of fish. The resulting product was one of the juiciest, most tender Filet-O-Fish sandwiches I’d ever had. I’m not kidding. As a foodie, I have my standards! Continued innovation in sustainable ingredient sourcing will improve food quality and taste, as a result helping a stagnating market where healthy food trends are dipping in on fast food sales.
I also pondered why McDonald’s Canada had quietly placed these certification labels on their fish sandwich packaging. There wasn’t really any promotional material on this fast food giant changing to sustainably sourced fish. It just seemed to all of a sudden transition without a trace. Hopefully, it’s because McDonald’s realizes that this is something that should be done, as a responsibility or duty to society, rather than something to gloat about.
Kudos to McDonald’s for being a leader in sustainble sourcing in the food industry. With its thousands of restaurants globally, McDonald’s definitely has the power and presence to leverage a new movement in restaurant chains and the food industry.
*European locations already had MSC certification since 2011!