16/03/2015: Skidmore College is first MSC-certified liberal arts college in NY

On March 12, Skidmore College became the first liberal arts college in New York to achieve Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) Chain of Custody certification, the world’s leading certification program for sustainable, wild-caught seafood.

Skidmore’s Dining Services offers MSC certified sustainable seafood in the full-service Murray-Aikins Dining Hall, which serves more than 4000 meals to students, faculty and staff on a daily basis.

A variety of seafood is offered weekly on the dining hall menus and includes MSC certified haddock, pollock, and cod. Skidmore plans to add more species of sustainable fish to the menu in the future. Starting today, MSC certified haddock and other MSC certified species will be regularly featured on the Dining Hall menu cycle. 

MSC Chain of Custody certification ensures that in every step of the chain – from the fishers, to the processor, to the distributor and the end user – MSC certified seafood is not mixed with or substituted for non-certified seafood. It also provides assurance that seafood bearing the blue MSC ecolabel can be traced back to a fishery that has been certified as sustainable and well-managed against the global, science-based MSC standard.

Commitment to sustainability initiatives is key 

“Sustainability is a key theme in our dining facilities and we’re committed to reducing impact on the environment and increasing sustainable initiatives,” said Mark Miller, director of Skidmore’s Dining Services.

“MSC Chain of Custody certification is a sign of our commitment to sustainability. Skidmore’s Dining Services believes that by obtaining MSC certification, college students and staff are able to contribute to the health of the world’s oceans by choosing seafood that can be traced back to fisheries that have achieved the MSC standard for sustainable fishing.” 

 

Skidmore College

Skidmore Dining introduced MSC certified seafood at Skidmore’s fourth annual American Culinary Federation (ACF) Conference and Competition held in January. The three-day event offered chefs in the industry the opportunity to participate in demonstrations, educational sessions, and an ACF-sanctioned culinary competition during which MSC certified sea scallop samples were served and Skidmore’s team won a gold medal.

Additional sustainability initiatives led by Skidmore Dining Services include composting coffee-grounds, zero-sort recycling, efforts to repurpose fryer oil product as fuel, eliminating trays from the dining hall, and re-fillable water-bottle stations that have saved the equivalent of 171,816 bottles to date from being used and discarded. 


Culinary leadership rewards sustainable fishing 

“We congratulate Skidmore College for their leadership and efforts to recognize and reward sustainable fishing practices through the achievement of MSC Chain of Custody certification,” said Geoff Bolan, MSC's US program director.

“Skidmore Dining’s commitment to offer seafood that has been certified to the global, science-based MSC standard, will help to ensure sustainable seafood for this and future generations.”
   
Visit the MSC website HERE.

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