SUSTAINABLE SEAFOOD PROGRESS AGAINST OUR COMMITMENTS AT ARAMARK, OUR MISSION TO ENRICH AND NOURISH LIVES MEANS PROVIDING SAFE, NUTRITIOUS, QUALITY
FOOD IS CORE TO WHO WE ARE. Sourcing food responsibly impacts not only our local and global economies and the environment, but also people’s health and wellbeing. We think about these impacts with every purchase and we work with many partners to source local, seasonal, responsibly raised and grown products whenever we can.
MAKING AN IMPACT Our Sustainable Seafood Principles and Policy guide our global position on responsible sourcing for wild-caught and farm-raised seafood products, and details our purchasing practices, commitment to reporting, and approach to stakeholder engagement.
We’re proud of the significant progress we’ve made across the industry: \\ We define sustain- able seafood as • Since 2008, we’ve been working toward purchasing 100% of our contracted coming from sources seafood in the U.S. from sources that meet Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood that can maintain or Watch® Best Choice and Good Alternative recommendations by 2018. increase production without jeopardizing • Of our contracted purchases, more than 90% of our frozen finfish ecosystems, while and 100% of our canned tuna meet Seafood Watch recommendations. maintaining healthy This includes products like cod, catfish, tilapia, pollock, and skipjack marine life popula- and albacore tuna. tions, and respecting seafood workers • We are transitioning all contracted salmon and shrimp products to and communities Seafood Watch Best Choice and Good Alternative, including wild-caught throughout the salmon from Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certified fisheries and supply chain. // shrimp from eco-certified sources. • We’re on track to meet our 2018 seafood commitment, and continue to raise the bar by expanding our seafood contracts to ensure additional species we purchase meet Seafood Watch recommendations. DRIVING CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT In the seafood industry, transparency and traceability are industry-wide challenges. It’s often difficult to access key pieces of information, like the method or region where seafood is caught, or insights into labor practices to avoid human rights abuses. We are working with our partners to access and verify source data, driving our purchasing goals and supporting sustainable livelihoods for seafood workers.
We’re focusing where we can make the greatest impact: • Working with suppliers, distributors and non-governmental organizations (NGOs), we’re addressing the challenges of tracking of key data elements to verify the species, and where and how it was caught. • We require our suppliers to provide annual progress reports and third-party supporting documentation that demonstrates they meet or exceed our expectations. • We focus on avoiding seafood that was transshipped* at sea or is from illegal, undocumented and unregulated (IUU) fisheries by requiring our suppliers and distributors to incorporate protocols that ensure compliance with our standards. • We remain committed to making continuous progress to address social and economic issues impacting the lives of workers, local communities and cultures.
TRANSSHIPMENT AT SEA* When seafood products from one boat are transferred to another boat at sea, before \\ Since April 2016, arriving in port, these products are transshipped. This is cause for concern. By avoiding we’ve been sourcing ports and moving products around at sea, boat operators are more easily able to 100% contracted engage in illegal and unethical practices, such as: canned skipjack • Harvesting illegally caught fish tuna from fisheries • Mixing products from different sources or catch methods certified by the Marine Stewardship • Engaging in the practice of slave labor Council and albacore Transshipment is more common in the tuna fishing industry, so we pay special from pole and line attention to this issue when sourcing tuna. In fact, our canned tuna supplier has caught sources. // confirmed that all tuna is off-loaded from the catch vessel in port, ensuring no transshipment is occurring. INDUSTRY WIDE CHANGE Driving responsible seafood practices goes beyond what we purchase. In partnership with our suppliers and advocacy organizations, we’re helping to drive industry wide change:
• Our commitment is built upon the Conservation Alliance for Sustainable Seafood Common Vision, a six-step road map developed by a coalition of conservation groups that work with businesses representing over 80% of the North American grocery and food-service markets.
• Our Sustainable Seafood Principles & Policy brings the Common Vision to life through our public commitment and priorities, approach to data collection and commitment transparency, education and awareness, and our focus on continuous improvement in fisheries and aquaculture.
• As a founding member in Seafood Watch’s Foodservice Roundtable, a group of the world’s leading foodservice companies, we:
• Advocate for policy reform in the U.S. government and domestic and international fisheries management bodies to address illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, plus harvest control.
• Support the development of the Human Rights Risk Tool for Seafood that indicates the likelihood human rights abuses taking place on fishing boats in a specific fishery. Using this tool, we are able to identify potential risks and hotspots to focus enforcement of our policy.
\\ Seafood Watch applauds Aramark’s business leadership - from their responsible canned tuna policy, to calling for stronger tuna fisheries management with international govern- ments, to working with the supply chain to improve transparency, Aramark continues to demonstrate the important role businesses can play in driving sustainability.
- Jennifer Dianto-Kemmerly, Director of Global Fisheries and Aquaculture, Monterey Bay Aquarium
// CONSUMER ENGAGEMENT • We use our Green ThreadTM marketing materials to help consumers connect the dots between our actions and our words. When consumers see Green Thread™, they know sustainable seafood practices and programs are in place.
• We’re helping to reduce plastic waste that contributes to ocean pollution by offering solutions to minimize single-use plastic disposables like reusable to-go food and beverage containers, compostable disposables, water bottle refilling stations, and increased availability of reusable water bottles.
GLOBAL LEADERSHIP Aramark supports United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (UN SDG #14) which recognizes that the wellbeing of people and the health of oceans are connected. This goal addresses: protecting human rights, dignity, and access to resources; ensuring equality and equitable opportunities to benefit; and improving food and livelihood security.
In June 2017, we signed on to United Nations Voluntary Commitment 15142, entitled “Committing to Social Responsibility in Global Fisheries and Aquaculture”, submitted by Conservation International, with the support of many non-governmental organizations, private sector companies, intergovern- mental agencies, academic institutions, philanthropic organizations, and seafood certification programs. This commitment is consistent with Aramark’s Sustainable Seafood Principles and Policy, including our emphasis on human rights, labor abuses, and transshipment at sea.
ABOUT GREEN THREAD Green Thread™, the company’s environmental sustainability platform, brings to life Aramark’s commitments and programs focused on sourcing responsibly, minimizing waste, running buildings and fleet efficiently. Learn more at: www.aramark.com/responsible-sourcing
About Aramark Aramark (NYSE: ARMK) proudly serves Fortune 500 companies, world champion sports teams, state-of-the-art healthcare providers, the world’s leading educational institutions, iconic destinations and cultural attractions, and numerous municipalities in 19 countries around the world. Our 270,000 team members deliver experiences that enrich and nourish millions of lives every day through innovative services in food, facilities management and uniforms. Learn more at www.aramark.com or connect with us on Facebook and Twitter.
October 2017