McDonald's to Include Pacifical MSC Tuna in their Menu

MADRID, November 25, 2015 /PRNewswire/ --

Following a global commitment to sustainable fishing practices, McDonald's Spain will be the first restaurant chain to include Pacifical skipjack tuna certified by the Marine Stewardship Council on their national menu. By January 2016, more than 490 restaurants will be offering MSC certified tuna in their "Tuna Mediterranean Salad".

"At McDonald's we have a goal to source all of our food and packaging from sustainable sources. As part of this, since 2013 all the white fish we serve in our restaurants globally in our Filet-o-fish sandwiches is sourced from MSC certified fisheries. In Spain, we are very proud to announce that the skipjack tuna, which we serve as part of our salad range, is now also MSC certified", says Ignacio Blanco-Traba, Sr. Director Sustainable Sourcing at McDonald's Corporation.

Pacifical, the marketing and sales organization for the PNA MSC certified tuna is supplying Frinsa del Noroeste, a leading European tuna processor located in Spain. McDonald's MSC certified skipjack tuna is being caught in the waters of PNA nations in the Western Central Pacific Ocean. The fish is cooked and cleaned in a local Pacific-based processing facility, generating work and income to over one thousand local families. The MSC certified tuna is later transported to Spain, the largest fish processing nation in Europe, to be packed and delivered to McDonald's.

"We congratulate McDonald's for highlighting the importance of sustainable catching methods and taking a leading step within the fast food industry," says Henk Brus, Managing Director of Pacifical. "Thanks to their commitment, millions of Spanish consumers will enjoy sustainably caught tuna and support the livelihoods of thousands of Pacific island families whose lives depend largely on tuna".

Pacifical tuna is from nets set only on free swimming schools of adult skipjack tuna. Fishing on free schools reduces bycatch to the lowest level and ensures that the tuna caught is predominately of mature size. This means that bycatch of unwanted species and juvenile tuna is largely eliminated. Independent MSC trained onboard observers monitor and record all fishing operations according to the strictest MSC chain of custody (COC) standards. Our COC ensures that the fish was caught in a sustainable way and never mixed in with fish caught on FADs, or any other non-sustainable fishing method. Around 40% of the world supply of skipjack comes from the waters of the PNA, which makes the Pacific island nations the single most important source of raw material for the global tuna industry.

"In accordance with our sustainability policy, Frinsa favors the acquisition of tuna catches caught by environmentally friendly fishing methods, reducing bycatch of untargeted species and negative impacts on the overall ocean ecosystem", says José Aller, Frinsa's Head of Sustainability. "One of our principles is to guarantee the total traceability and chain of custody, from sea to plate."

"In 2011 McDonald's became a game changer in the white fish sector, with the announcement to source exclusively from fisheries that have met the rigorous MSC standard for environmental sustainability. This new commitment by McDonald's Spain to introduce MSC certified tuna, is a strong positive signal for tuna fisheries that are working towards sustainability and recognition of the top performance of the PNA nations. I am delighted that millions of Iberian consumers will be able to enjoy McDonald's salads with one of their favorite fish species, knowing that they are making a responsible choice" says Laura Rodríguez Zugasti, Program Director of Marine Stewardship Council in Spain and Portugal.

About McDonald's Spain   

McDonald's Spain opened its first restaurant on 1981; today there are more than 490 restaurants all throughout Spanish territory generating over 23,000 jobs. McDonald's is the first restaurant chain to sell MSC certified products and display the MSC logo in all European countries where it operates. In 2011 & 2013, McDonald's Europe and McDonald's USA, respectively, elected to certify their 20,000+ combined restaurants to the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) Chain of Custody traceability standard.

About the PNA
The Parties to the Nauru Agreement (PNA) control the world's largest sustainable tuna purse seine fishery. PNA Members, located within the Western Central Pacific Ocean, are Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Tuvalu. In 2011, the PNA skipjack tuna caught without using FADs was certified by the Marine Stewardship Council as sustainable, creating the world's largest sustainable tuna purse seine fishery. About 50% of all skipjack tuna in the world is caught within the waters of the PNA nations. 

About Frinsa  

Frinsa is one of the largest European manufacturers of canned tuna fish and seafood. The company was founded in Ribeira (Galicia, Spain) in 1961. The company's main mission is to produce top-quality canned food, focusing its efforts on meeting clients' expectations in a sustainable and environmentally-friendly way. Frinsa is the supplier of the major European chains' private label brands and also manufactures its own brands FRINSA (gourmet) and RIBEIRA.

About Pacifical
Pacifical is the global marketing company jointly set up by 8 PNA countries in 2011 to promote PNA and actively trade their MSC certified sustainably caught free school skipjack tuna to consumers around the world. All products sourced from MSC certified skipjack tuna from PNA waters carry the Pacifical logo as clear representation of the client's commitment with the PNA region and recognition to those managing the stock on a daily basis. 

About Marine Stewardship Council
The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) is recognized as the world's leading certification program for sustainable, wild-caught seafood. In collaboration with fisheries scientists and marine experts, the MSC has developed two global, science-based standards. The MSC Fishery Standard evaluates the sustainability of fisheries and the MSC Chain of Custody Standard ensures that any seafood carrying the blue MSC ecolabel is traceable to a certified fishery. 

SOURCE Pacifical