Save Seafood Tour
In 2005, the Foundation’s first year of operation, we used a grant from the David and Lucile Packard Foundation to run The Save Seafood Tour.In partnership with the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch Program, whose mission is to use science-based and conservation-driven analysis to educate consumers about sustainable seafood choices, we made presentations to more than 1,000 Bon Appétit guests and 400 Bon Appétit kitchen staffers at 20 locations about seafood choices and their connection to maintaining healthy oceans.
This program led to the Making Waves Project, an effort to encourage other food companies to change their seafood buying practices and be consistent with internationally-recognized conservation standards. We’re proud to say that as a result of our work, a resolution was adopted by the Compass Group board in November 2005 to phase-in new purchasing standards fully within three years.
This will result in a change of purchasing practices that will affect a minimum of one million pounds of seafood each year. In 2006, we shared operational knowledge about sustainable seafood with these chefs and trained them about culinary alternatives to popular varieties of fish.
About the Seafood Watch program
In order to mitigate the damage to our oceans and educate consumers about these critical issues, the Monterey Bay Aquarium established the Seafood Watch program in 1999. Their mission is to empower customers and businesses to make choices for healthy oceans by supporting sustainable seafood practices. The Seafood Watch team develops a comprehensive Seafood Report, which is species-specific and based on extensive scientific research, government reports, journal articles and information from fisheries. Recommendations for seafood choices are derived from this report and are concisely listed in the regional Seafood Watch pocket guides, enabling consumers to make informed seafood purchasing decisions.
