Good Housekeeping magazine honours Marine Stewardship Council for Outstanding Contribution to Food

London - 27th february 2008 - The work of the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) was recognised at the prestigious 4th Annual Good Housekeeping Awards this week (Monday 25th February). The MSC was given the award for Outstanding Contribution to Food for its work in raising awareness of sustainable fishing and promoting sustainable seafood choices through its blue eco-label. Entries for the awards were nominated by a panel of experts convened by Good Housekeeping magazine, the UK’s second biggest-selling women’s magazine, with a readership of 1.5 million.

Michelin-starred chef, Raymond Blanc, who presented the award to MSC, said: “Our seas are a fantastic resource but we have used them without care for too long. Those of us producing food, the chefs and cooks, need to be a part of the process of changing the way we think about fish. The work of the Marine Stewardship Council is so, so important in this if we are to have fish on the plate in the restaurant and at home in the future.”

Rupert Howes, MSC’s Chief Exec says, “Receiving the Outstanding Contribution to Food award from Good Housekeeping magazine is a great honour for the MSC. Good Housekeeping is hugely influential and we are delighted that our continuing efforts to encourage and empower consumers to think about the sustainability of their seafood choices and to make ‘the best environmental choice’ has been recognised by such a prestigious award. By insisting on sustainable seafood choices consumers really can make a difference, encouraging environmentally responsible and sustainable fishing practices that will ensure the future heath and productivity of marine ecosystems and the availability of this wonderful and renewable food resource for this and future generations.”

The Good Housekeeping Food Awards encompass 18 categories and honour not only the nation’s favourite local, Fairtrade and organic foods, but also acknowledge individuals and organisations who have made exceptional contributions to the British food industry. 

Louise Chunn, Editor of Good Housekeeping, comments: “This year’s Food Awards have been the biggest yet and are an indication of the passion consumers have for their favourite food, ingredients, people and establishments. Food has been at the heart of Good Housekeeping since its launch in 1922, and the magazine is proud to be involved with some of the best new products and initiatives in the industry today, helping everyone to get the best out of food.”

The full report will also appear in the April issue of Good Housekeeping Magazine on sale Thursday 6th March.

Ends

Notes to Editors:

Marine Stewardship Council (MSC): The MSC is an international non-profit organisation that was set up in 1997 to promote solutions to the problem of overfishing. The MSC runs the only widely recognised environmental certification and eco-labelling programme for wild capture fisheries. It is the only seafood eco-label that is consistent with the ISEAL Code of Good Practice for Setting Social and Environmental Standards and UN FAO guidelines for fisheries certification. The FAO ‘Guidelines for the Eco-labelling of Fish and Fishery Products from Marine Capture Fisheries’, require that credible fishery certification and eco-labelling schemes include:
- Objective, third-party fishery assessment utilising scientific evidence;
- Transparent processes with built-in stakeholder consultation and objection procedures;
- Standards based on the sustainability of target species, ecosystems and management practices.
In total, over 90 fisheries are engaged in the MSC programme with 26 certified, 64 under assessment and another 20 to 30 in confidential pre-assessment. Together the fisheries record annual catches of over 4 million tonnes of seafood. They represent over 42 percent of the world’s wild salmon catch, 40 percent of the world’s prime whitefish catch, and 18 percent of the world’s lobster catches for human consumption. Worldwide, over 1,000 seafood products resulting from the certified fisheries bear the blue MSC eco-label. For more information, please visit www.msc.org