McDonald's Filet-O-Fish Has This Impressive Certification

Between a buttermilk bun with tartar sauce is a crisp breaded fish patty that defines the famous McDonald's famous Filet-O-Fish. The sandwich served at the golden arches has many fun facts about it. One important fact about the Filet-O-Fish is that when you look at the packaging of the box, you'll notice a blue label that features a fish logo. This represents the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) sustainable seafood certification.

The MSC is a global organization that preserves the oceans and ensures that seafood remains a sustainable resource. It manages this through its fishery program, which aims to reduce overfishing. After completing the program and gaining the certification, fishery owners are granted access to new and secure markets along with several other benefits. The blue ecolabel that you find on the side of the Filet-O-Fish means that the Alaskan pollock used in the sandwich has come from a sustainable source.

The MSC is part of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). That said, "SDG14: Life Below Water" was developed for nations to come together to work toward a greater global community. Sadly, this goal specifically has made little progress and is considered to be one of the hardest goals to achieve.

Overall, the process of getting the famed MSC certification involves going through a detailed assessment, which is carried out by accredited independent certifiers known as conformity assessment bodies (CABs). Any fishery, regardless of how small, is eligible to apply. Moreover, eligible businesses include both single- and multi-species types using methods such as trawling, longlining, hand raking, and pots. This applies to freshwater and marine environments, inshore and offshore operations, and includes demersal, pelagic, and enhanced fisheries. Notably, for enhanced fisheries to be eligible for certification, they must meet several specific requirements that pertain to how the fish are treated.

If the fishery is eligible, it can then apply for the MSC certification. However, the process is incredibly long, taking an estimated 12 to 18 months, and it costs anywhere between $15,000 and $120,000. Once the process has started, the fisheries are scored on three different principles: stock sustainability, ecosystem impacts, and effective management. They grade the fishery using 25 different performance indicators. With a scale ranging from zero to 100, the bare minimum that can be accepted is a score of 60. While that is a passing score, the business will have additional conditions it must meet in order to be certified.

If the fishery has passed the test, it will then enter the MSC-certified fishery network along with other benefits that will make it more profitable. Once completed, the business has to keep up with regular audits.