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Let the Games—and Sustainablilty—Begin!

London 2012

As the 2010 Winter Olympic Games begin in Vancouver, SeaWeb is helping make sure the next Olympic spectacle will showcase sustainability. In Summer 2012, the Olympic Games will be held in London, turning the world's attention to the United Kingdom as thousands of visitors attend the live event and billions of people across the globe watch the activities. As this Olympics is expected to be one of the largest catered events in British history, the London Organising Committee of the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) has a unique opportunity to advance sustainability through the seafood it buys and serves to its patrons.

To help maximize this opportunity, LOCOG has been working with different members from the seafood and conservation community to ensure the seafood it offers is sustainable. SeaWeb has helped shape this process, engaging in a key stakeholder working group. Facilitated by Sustain: The Alliance for Better Food and Farming, the working group contributed to creating advice for LOCOG’s seafood sourcing. In December 2009, the Organising Committee published the "London 2012 Food Vision," which announced that the Olympic Games will be putting sustainability first, showcasing the best of British food while ensuring responsible sourcing is a priority.

London Skyline Emily Howgate/SeaWeb

The London 2012 Food Vision states that the seafood to be served during the Games—all 82 metric tonnes of it—must be "demonstrably sustainable." All wild-caught fish served must meet the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries, on which the Marine Stewardship Council’s certification is based. In addition, no fish will be served that is identified by the Marine Conservation Society as "fish to avoid." The need for seafood to be demonstrably sustainable is compulsory for suppliers and caterers, and the Food Vision also includes an aspirational standard that has more detail on using diverse seafood species and ethical trading.

With a total of 14 million meals to be served across 40 locations during the Olympics, the Games will be showcasing sustainable seafood choices to thousands of athletes and spectators—plus the world press. With the Olympics shining a spotlight on sustainable seafood, the UK catering sector more widely is moving to be part of this wave of change. Catalysing this progress Good Catch, a collaborative project that SeaWeb's Seafood Choices program is coordinating, is helping the food service sector navigate seafood sustainability. Seafood Choices and the other Good Catch partners deliver practical information, tools and events that enable caterers to improve the sustainability of the seafood they serve.

Good Catch Workshop Emily Howgate/SeaWeb

The 2012 Olympics is more than a single chance to promote sustainability; it can lead to significant and lasting transformations in the seafood supply chain and for our ocean. By helping shape the seafood commitment of the London 2012 Food Vision and working through Good Catch to support members of the catering sector as they improve the sustainability of the seafood they buy, serve and promote, SeaWeb is contributing to the creation of this legacy.

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