Lobbying by Marine Stewardship Council

Marine Stewardship Council’s statement on the Sustainable Food Systems framework Inception Impact Assessment The Marine Stewardship Council is an international non-profit organisation that is benchmarked against the Global Sustainable Seafood Initiative (GSSI) and is compliant with the International, Social and Environmental Accreditation Alliance’s (ISEAL) Code of Good Practice. Our mission is to protect the oceans and safeguard seafood supplies for the future using our fishery certification scheme and ecolabel. General comments The MSC welcomes the opportunity to contribute to this Inception Impact Assessment and roadmap for a horizontal Sustainable Food Systems (SFS) framework, we strongly support option 4 which aims to introduce common definitions, requirements, and principles for SFS that would apply to all food products and sectors. Since its inception in 1997, the MSC has been contributing to the broader objectives of the SFS framework by: • Supporting sustainable primary production and transparency through the supply chain • Stimulating sustainable food processing, retail, hospitality and food services’ practices. • Promoting sustainable food consumption, facilitating the shift towards healthy, sustainable diets. Following the UN Sustainable Food System’s Summit, the global community is waking up to the need to transform food systems to a sustainable basis, underpinned by rigorous science-based standards and labels. Blue foods are a cornerstone of many economies but need effective international governance that integrates them into socioeconomic development, ocean management and climate strategies. To be complete, the reform of food systems needs to recognise the value of the oceanic food systems and blue foods. The UN states that “Sustainable Food Systems can ensure the viability of global fisheries & protect the health of aquatic ecosystems to ultimately achieve SDG14”. We agree, if our oceans and fishers are to thrive, then a holistic, systemic approach to blue food systems (food sourced from the water) is urgently needed. Protecting the ocean and supporting sustainable fishing is a win-win for both people and planet. Fish stocks can recover and replenish if they are managed carefully, enabling more people to have the protein they need to live healthily. The recent Blue Foods Assessment (BFA) report highlights how fisheries and aquaculture can play a greater role in delivering healthy diets and more sustainable, equitable and resilient food systems around the world. Furthermore, the world’s wild-capture fisheries have a smaller environmental footprint than that of many land-based animal proteins. If they are sustainably managed, wild-capture fisheries can feed more people and with a smaller environmental footprint. To retain a broader objective of consistency across the different food sectors, and in line with the BFA report, the MSC fully supports option 4 of the IIA on SFS as the best way forward to deliver a fundamental and lasting change in how we approach food systems. We particularly welcome the view to introduce common definitions, principles and driving objectives as well as general minimum standards and specific responsibilities of food system actors. As mentioned above, the MSC programme is based on a holistic approach to food systems, driving changes throughout the value chain, at sea and inland from catch to plate. We believe we are well placed to contribute to the development of the SFS framework with regards to general requirements also applicable to sustainable fishing, and we stand ready to contribute our knowledge, expertise, and standard to the further development of this initiative.

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