Surinam Airways Director Ewald Henshuijs with Louis Voigt, Manager of Surair Catering Services
Sustainable seafood first for Surinamese Surair Catering Services – first catering company in South America to get MSC certificate
Jun 19, 2012
Paramaribo – SCS, Surair Catering Services, has the catch of the day: it is the first catering company in South America to achieve certification to the chain of custody standard of the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC). This means that the company has satisfied independent auditors that it complies with the rigorous traceability requirements of the MSC standard; and that it is now entitled to serve seafood dishes bearing the blue MSC ecolabel, which assures consumers that the product is fully traceable to a certified sustainable fishery. By serving seafood with the international MSC ecolabel, Surair Catering Services rewards well-managed fisheries that ensure fish stocks are safeguarded for the future and have minimal impacts on other marine life.
Surair Catering Services celebrated its certification during a reception in Residence Inn Hotels Paramaribo.
Proud of Suriname's contribution to sustainable seafood
“Our staff worked very hard for this and we are very proud that our company has obtained the MSC certificate. It shows that the Surinamese can also be part of a global sustainable seafood movement,” says manager Louis Voigt on behalf of SCS.
Certified seabob shrimp on KLM flights from Suriname
Suriname seabob shrimp will be the first MSC labelled seafood dish prepared by SCS for KLM flights departing from Paramaribo to Amsterdam. In 2009, Dutch airline KLM launched its sustainable seafood sourcing policy. Part of this policy, is to serve MSC labelled seafood on as many Amsterdam outbound flights as possible. The certification of SCS is an important mile stone as KLM can now for the first time serve seafood with the blue MSC ecolabel inbound flights to Amsterdam.
The Suriname seabob fishery was the first tropical shrimp fishery in the world to be awarded with the MSC certificate for sustainable and well managed fisheries. The MSC chain of custody certification gives the assurance that seafood carrying the blue ecolabel on pack or on the menu can be traced back to the certified fishery that caught it.
“If you can dream it, you can do it”, said Jose Soesman, Operation Manager of Surair Catering Services, upon receiving the certificate.
WWF Guianas congratulates SCS
Laurens Gomes, Country Manager Suriname for WWF Guianas says: "The marine and coastal waters of Suriname represent a truly unique environment, harbouring vast amounts of fish and tropical shrimp species, as well as dolphins, whales and the critically endangered leatherback turtle which breeds in Suriname. WWF Guianas congratulates SCS, the fisheries sector and Suriname on this important landmark for the protection of our marine resources. The MSC certification of Surair Catering Services will allow overseas travellers to taste certified seabob shrimp from Suriname while at the same time raising their awareness for the need to protect our marine ecosystem."
What the MSC says
Nathalie Steins, Manager Benelux of the MSC who handed over the certificate on behalf of independent certifier Det Norske Veritas says: “Global demand for sustainable seafood is on the increase. Large international retail and foodservice companies have already committed to the MSC programme and Surair Catering Services now joins this growing group. They are the first catering company in South America to receive MSC certification and in this way supporting sustainable fisheries. This is a fantastic achievement.”
More information
For media enquiries contact:
Surair Catering Services: Louis Voigt, l.voigt@suraircatering.com / +597 (0) 853 2146
MSC: media.nl@msc.org +31 (0)70 360 5979
