London’s urgent message to Tokyo over 2020 Games
Marine conservation experts, businesses and key advisors to the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games have written to the organising committee of Tokyo 2020, concerned about proposals that would allow endangered species onto menus. They encourage Tokyo to embrace the Olympic Games as an opportunity to change sustainable fish buying in Japan.
- Risk of endangered species on Tokyo 2020 Menus
- London 2012 served verifiably sustainable fish and transformed fish culture
- London now urging Tokyo to follow suit
The London 2012 Games served only sustainable fish [1], and brought about significant changes in UK fish purchasing following the Games. In the run up to and following the Games, sustainable fish policies were adopted by all UK hospitals and prisons, and thousands of schools, restaurants, sports venues and workplaces, thanks in part to London legacy project Sustainable Fish Cities [2].
Coordinator of Sustainable Fish Cities, Ruth Westcott, believes that the standards set for the Games were critical; “The London 2012 Games proved that delicious, sustainably sourced seafood could be served on a large scale and developed the essential knowledge, enthusiasm and expertise in the industry”.
“When we discovered that the organising committee for Tokyo were considering a much less rigorous approach, we wanted to send a clear message that the Olympics is a golden opportunity for Tokyo. They can set in motion changes that would protect the long-term future of Japan’s seafood tradition, and the organisers of the Games would be able to take a lot of the credit.”
“There is a great deal of support for Tokyo 2020 on this issue – already a number of UK businesses, seafood experts and individuals from the wider Olympic community have joined us in writing statements of encouragement to the organising committee. We would be delighted to celebrate if and when strong standards are adopted.”
“When we discovered that the organising committee for Tokyo were considering a much less rigorous approach, we wanted to send a clear message that the Olympics is a golden opportunity for Tokyo. They can set in motion changes that would protect the long-term future of Japan’s seafood tradition, and the organisers of the Games would be able to take a lot of the credit.”
“There is a great deal of support for Tokyo 2020 on this issue – already a number of UK businesses, seafood experts and individuals from the wider Olympic community have joined us in writing statements of encouragement to the organising committee. We would be delighted to celebrate if and when strong standards are adopted.”
The statements of support were presented to the Tokyo Organising Committee on Wednesday 15th February.
Statements of support [3]
Kath Dalmeny, Chief Executive of Sustain, and member of the Food Advisory Group that devised the London 2012 Food Vision, said:
“We warmly encourage Tokyo 2020 to seize the opportunity to celebrate the very best of Japanese food culture, married with a robust sustainable approach that can ensure that everyone can enjoy Japanese food culture and delicious seafood dishes long into the future”
Kath Dalmeny, Chief Executive of Sustain, and member of the Food Advisory Group that devised the London 2012 Food Vision, said:
“We warmly encourage Tokyo 2020 to seize the opportunity to celebrate the very best of Japanese food culture, married with a robust sustainable approach that can ensure that everyone can enjoy Japanese food culture and delicious seafood dishes long into the future”
Rosie Boycott, Food Advisor to the Mayor of London, said:
“I offer you, the organisers of the Tokyo 2020 Games, my full encouragement and support in developing strong standards for the Olympic Games, and urge you to take the opportunity, whilst the world is watching, to set standards that will be an example to other cities globally.”
Compass Group PLC, the largest contract caterer in the world, said:
“We were delighted to support the sustainable fish legacy that was so positive at the 2012 Olympics in London. It was fantastic to see the London Games leading the way, and to see our capital city established as leaders in sustainable fish procurement. We would encourage Tokyo 2020 to do even better.
Laky Zervudachi of Direct Seafoods, one of the main suppliers of fish to the London 2012 Olympics, said:
“We urge Tokyo to continue the sustainable fish legacy that we supported in London. Since the Games, the global sustainable seafood movement has grown significantly. Certified sustainable fish is much more readily available, the expertise exists within many large global catering companies, and there are a number of well-established international sustainability standards that give credibility to sustainable fish choices.
The final food standards for Tokyo 2020 are expected by announced in mid-February.
ENDS
Contact:
Ruth Westcott
Sustainable Fish Cities
Sustain: Development House, 56 - 64 Leonard Street, London EC2A 4LT
0203 5596 777 | ruth@sustainweb.org | www.sustainweb.org
@FishCities
Ruth Westcott
Sustainable Fish Cities
Sustain: Development House, 56 - 64 Leonard Street, London EC2A 4LT
0203 5596 777 | ruth@sustainweb.org | www.sustainweb.org
@FishCities
Press Conference
A press conference was held on Wednesday 15th February at The Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan, at 13:00 local time. The event was co-hosted by Seafood Legacy Japan and Sustainable Fish Cities. Following the press conference, statements from Compass Group PLC, Rosie Boycott, Chair of the London Food Board and others were delivered to the Organising Committee of the 2020 Games by Sustainable Fish Cities.
A press conference was held on Wednesday 15th February at The Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan, at 13:00 local time. The event was co-hosted by Seafood Legacy Japan and Sustainable Fish Cities. Following the press conference, statements from Compass Group PLC, Rosie Boycott, Chair of the London Food Board and others were delivered to the Organising Committee of the 2020 Games by Sustainable Fish Cities.
Notes to editors:
[1] The Food Vision for the London Olympic and Paralympic Games set the following standards for sustainable Fish: As part of the ‘baseline’ or ‘mandatory’ standard, all London caterers were required to meet the following sustainable fish standards (wording from the London 2012 Food Vision):
“All fish demonstrably sustainable with all wild-caught fish meeting the FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries (includes Marine Stewardship Council certification and Marine Conservation Society ‘fish to eat’), of high quality, fit for purpose and free from damage or spoilage.”
Importantly, this meant ‘red list’ and endangered fish species were completely and verifiably excluded. Caterers were also encouraged to meet the following:
“Utilisation of diverse species and shellfish to reduce pressure on sensitive stocks; Farmed fish raised to high standards of welfare and fed only with demonstrably sustainable feed; Products that are ethically traded/sourced.”
The Food Vision is available here: https://www.sustainweb.org/resources/files/reports/London_2012_Food_Vision.pdf
“All fish demonstrably sustainable with all wild-caught fish meeting the FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries (includes Marine Stewardship Council certification and Marine Conservation Society ‘fish to eat’), of high quality, fit for purpose and free from damage or spoilage.”
Importantly, this meant ‘red list’ and endangered fish species were completely and verifiably excluded. Caterers were also encouraged to meet the following:
“Utilisation of diverse species and shellfish to reduce pressure on sensitive stocks; Farmed fish raised to high standards of welfare and fed only with demonstrably sustainable feed; Products that are ethically traded/sourced.”
The Food Vision is available here: https://www.sustainweb.org/resources/files/reports/London_2012_Food_Vision.pdf
Catering at the Olympic Games
The Olympic Games are an enormous catering effort. An estimated 14 million meals were served during the London Games; the largest peace-time catering event in London’s history. Fish served during the Games was either certified sustainable by the Marine Stewardship Council or rated 1-3 using the Marine Conservation Society’s traffic-light rating system.
The Olympic Games are an enormous catering effort. An estimated 14 million meals were served during the London Games; the largest peace-time catering event in London’s history. Fish served during the Games was either certified sustainable by the Marine Stewardship Council or rated 1-3 using the Marine Conservation Society’s traffic-light rating system.
[2] Sustainable Fish Cities is a campaign organised by an alliance of not-for-profit organisations, sustainable catering advisors and marine conservation specialists. Members of the Sustainable Fish City working group include Marine Conservation Society (MCS), the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), Pisces Responsible Fish Restaurants and Seafood Choices (a project of SeaWeb). Sustainable Fish City is coordinated by Sustain: The alliance for better food and farming. Sustainable Fish Cities began in London in the lead up to the 2012 Games, and is now operating in fifteen towns cities in the UK. A list of all the businesses and institutions that have signed up to sustainable fish standards is available here: see: www.sustainablefishcity.net
[3] All the statements of support can be found on the Seafood Legacy Japan website, see: http://seafoodlegacy.com/en/about
Published Thursday 16 February 2017
Sustainable Fish: A campaign to protect precious marine environments and fishing livelihoods, and call for fish to be bought from sustainable sources. We want to show what can be done if people and organisations make a concerted effort to change their buying habits.
