At Festival Foods, we care about the future of our oceans. That’s why we source only sustainable seafood – the highest-quality product that is well managed, in plentiful supply, resistant to fishing pressures and harvested in ways that avoid damage to ecosystems and the environment.
We are committed to preserving the oceans for future generations. We constantly evaluate our product line to guarantee that you receive the highest-quality product, harvested in ways that avoid damage to ecosystems and the environment or fishing communities.
Festival Foods recognizes the importance of the sustainability standards set by various nongovernmental organizations, such as the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC); Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC); Global Aquaculture Alliance (GAA); United Nations Responsible Fisheries Management Program (RFM), managed by Alaska Seafood; and Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch list. Together, these organizations create standards by which the certification of fisheries and aquaculture operations is made possible through independent and scientifically driven processes.
Additionally, our program promotes fisheries that have committed to time-bound, measurable sustainability initiatives by entering into Fishery Improvement Projects or Aquaculture Improvement Projects. These are the first and most important steps to achieving full sustainability certifications.
A truly sustainable seafood program needs to address both wild-caught species and species raised through aquaculture practices:
Wild Fisheries
Festival Foods utilizes input from a variety of independent sources to evaluate the sustainability of our wild-caught species. Among these sources are the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC); Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch List; and Responsible Fisheries Management (RFM), a program of the United Nations that is managed by Alaska Seafood. Additionally, we evaluate Fishery Improvement Projects through Fisheriesprogress.org.
Farm-Raised Seafood
Festival Foods uses a variety of certification bodies to ensure that our product is farm raised in an environmentally sound manner. These include the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) and Global Aquaculture Alliances Best Aquaculture Practices. Both of these certification bodies also take into account the socio-economic wellbeing of the farm sites, communities and employees. Finally, we will also look at aquaculture operations involved in time-bound and measurable aquaculture improvement projects.
We hope that you take the time to visit some of the websites associated with our sustainable seafood program to learn more about their practices and standards:
Marine Stewardship Council – www.msc.org
Aquaculture Stewardship Council – www.asc-aqua.org
Responsible Fisheries Management – www.alaskaseafood.org
Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch program – www.seafoodwatch.org
Fishery Improvement Projects – fisheryprogress.org
Our vendor community has the following certifications:
- Member of the Global Aquaculture Alliance (GAA)
- Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) Chain of Custody Certified
- Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) Chain of Custody Certified
- Responsible Fisheries Management (RFM) Chain of Custody Certified
- Charter Member of the Better Seafood Board
- Member of the National Fisheries Institute (NFI)
A few of our favorite seafood recipes: