Is McDonald’s Filet-o-Fish Sustainable?
Posted on | July 31, 2010 | 3 Comments
It may come as a bit of a surprise, but the answer is closer to ‘yes’ than ‘no’. SOP lays out the facts and explains why big businesses like McDonald’s need to push for sustainability.
McDonald’s learned a valuable lesson in the early 1990s. Massive overfishing of North Atlantic cod, the only fish it used in its Filet-o-Fish sandwiches until the late 1980s, led to widespread fishery shutdowns. The world’s largest fast food chain was forced to spend time and money finding new sources of fish.
To make its fish sandwiches around the world, McDonald’s currently sources five different species of whitefish, including New Zealand hoki, Alaskan pollock, and Eastern Baltic cod. Fisheries for these three species are certified or are undergoing certification by the Marine Stewardship Council. It claims that most of its fish come from sources that are certified as sustainable. However, environmental groups raise legitimate concerns about the sustainability of some fish used by McDonald’s.
One success story lies with the Eastern Baltic cod. In 2007, McDonald’s stopped sourcing the fish because it worried that catch numbers were not being reported accurately. In response to the corporation’s actions, suppliers improved reporting, and this year the restaurant chain is again buying the cod.
More and more big companies like McDonald’s are making the connection that sourcing sustainable seafood is now necessary for long term business planning. They are also beginning to leverage their power to influence positive change in fisheries. SOP expects to unveil more examples of this successful model in the future.
Tags: Alaskan pollock > Eastern Baltic cod > Filet-o-Fish > fish > fisheries > Marine Stewardship Council > McDonald's > New Zealand hoki > North Atlantic cod > overfished > restaurant > sustainable
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August 1st, 2010 @ 1:23 AM
wow i thought it was dogfish all along. it definitely seems like sustainability would be economically better for companies in the long run. glad they’re safe. even though i would probably have to be pretty hungry to eat that sandwich.
great post! just gotta say again, they really need a sustainability app for android. anyone? bueller?
August 5th, 2010 @ 7:19 PM
Yeah, I probably won’t be eating a Filet-o-Fish anytime soon either. But at least McD’s is doing their part.
June 9th, 2011 @ 5:06 PM
[...] In Europe, McDonald’s uses four different species of fish: cod, haddock, Alaska pollock and New Zealand hoki. McDonald’s in the U.S. also serves Alaskan pollack, as well as less sustainable whitefish. A McDonald’s spokesperson told the New York Times that there have been some conversations about extending the deal to the U.S, where the filet-o-fish remains one of the more sustainable items on the McDonald’s menu. In fact, several years ago McDonald’s stopped using Eastern Baltic cod due to sustainability concerns, but now the populations are recovering. [...]