Contract caterer Restaurant Associates signs Sustainable Fish City pledge

Since 2009, Restaurant Associates has committed to not serving fish and shellfish that are on the Marine Conservation Society (MCS) fish to avoid list and regularly reviews its fish guidelines to ensure they are current and reflective of sustainable practices. By working in partnership with its suppliers, Restaurant Associates also promotes the use of under–utilised species such as mackerel, pollock, gurnard and coley. The caterer has now taken a step further and has committed to ensuring all its restaurants will have received, or be working towards, Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) accreditation by the end of 2012. The certification will allow them to serve MSC certified sustainable seafood and display the blue ecolabel on their menus. To achieve these commitments Restaurant Associates has worked with the MSC to raise awareness amongst the teams and clients and has developed online tools providing teams with eight simple steps towards the MSC accreditation. Andy Harris, managing director, Restaurant Associates, said: "Restaurant Associates has a long-standing commitment to sourcing its seafood as sustainably as possible. We serve 250,000 customers daily and with 85% of our clients London based, signing this pledge will have a huge impact on the fish being served in workplaces and restaurants across London." Michelin starred chef and Restaurant Associates chef consultant, Gary Rhodes, said: "Fish is such a wonderfully versatile, nutritious food and with so many exciting varieties available to us it is vital that we encourage people to try lesser known species and raise awareness of the importance of safeguarding marine resources to ensure a sustainable future for our fish and seafood."