I like to believe that like most Canadians, I am educating myself about the food that I put into my body. Whether it’s the organic produce, reducing processed sugars, or the sourcing… the world is changing and it’s important that we change with it. Recently, MSC hosted an event here in Toronto to speak to sustainability and fishing practices around the world. To celebrate the #OceanToPlate mouvement, we are offering one lucky Canadian the chance to WIN a Loblaws Gift Card and try out the delicious MSC Certified seafood that they carry from coast to coast. Come and see how to enter today!
You’ll remember that we’ve had the opportunity to chat with the team at MSC before and since that point have made a change in our food buying practices. Click here to read about what MSC is all about and how they changed the way we see the world.
It’s an unfortunate fact, but misleading labels exist when it comes to seafood that you buy in your local grocery store.
- Levels of mislabelling in the seafood industry have been found to be as high as 43% and to average around 30%
- Mislabelling of seafood threatens the bottom line of honest fishers and seafood traders.
- For the MSC, mislabelled seafood would undermine the considerable efforts made by fisheries to meet our high standards of sustainability, and have potential harm on the environment.
- Therefore, we take this issue very seriously and have measures in place to ensure that MSC labelled seafood is what it says it is.
MSC certified seafood
- You can trust that MSC labelled seafood comes from a certified sustainable fishery, has been sourced legally and is correctly labelled.
- The MSC’s requirements for labelling and traceability mean that, along the entire supply chain, MSC certified seafood is: segregated from non-certified seafood; clearly labelled; and traceable.
- The MSC carries out regular checks and DNA testing to ensure that these requirements are adhered to.
- The MSC Chain of Custody is one of the largest schemes for seafood traceability.
- Over 38,000 business locations in more than 80 countries have MSC Chain of Custody certification.
- More than 20,000 individual products carry the MSC ecolabel – available in over 100 countries.
- Consumers bought 608,000 tonnes of MSC labelled seafood during 2014-15
- Shoppers spent an estimated US$4.4 billion on MSC ecolabelled products during 2014-15
It all sounds great – but are there procedures in place to ensure the system works?
“We have four methods of checking that these systems are working correctly:
- ‘Trace-backs’, on MSC labelled products which check that the correct paper work is in place, and that the product can be traced back to a sustainable source. Trace-backs are also conducted regularly, with a focus on markets which could be at higher risk of mislabelling.
- DNA testing on hundreds of MSC certified products around the world to ensure that they are correctly labelled.
- Volumes of MSC certified seafood are recorded along the supply chain and can be investigated to detect product substitutions or mislabelling.
- MSC certificate holders are subject to regular audits to ensure that they are complying with our requirements.”
So, to celebrate both #WorldOceansDay AND the #OceanToPlate mouvement, I am giving one lucky Canadian the chance to win a $100 Loblaws GC to visit their local Loblaws and purchase MSC Certified Seafood.
Step 1:
Follow @DoTheDaniel, @Canada_MSC & @MSCecolabel on Twitter
Step 2:
Click below to tweet your entry. Did I mention there is no limit to the amount of times you can enter?!
** Winner must be following all twitter accounts as listed in Step #1 to be deemed valid. Contest odds depend on how many valid entries are received. Contest will run until Wednesday, June 15th 2016 at 5:00pm EST. ONE winner will be chosen at random and announced via @DoTheDaniel’s Twitter after Wednesday, June 15th 2016 at 5:00pm EST. Prize cannot be redeemed for cash value. Contest winner will be contacted via Twitter and subsequently emailed instructions on how to have prizes sent to them. Contest open to Canadian residents only. *
Don’t forget that we all have the power to change the world and make smart decisions when it comes the food we eat. To help you find more information and inspiration, make sure to check out www.msc.org
For more behind the scenes of this and other amazing brands we are working with around the world, make sure to follow along with the #DoTheDaniel Instagram account. We would love to have you join on our adventures!
Photos: Daniel Reyes & MSC
Cheers & Good Luck!