Ivy League university earns MSC Certification

Cornell University has become the first Ivy League institution to earn a certification from the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) for serving sustainable fish.

It was awarded the MSC Chain of Custody certification, enabling the 32 on-campus food operations to serve MSC certified sustainable seafood to its 27,000 daily customers.

The certification means that every part of the supply chain in sourcing and delivery fish is not mixed with or substituted for non-MSC certified seafood.

“We congratulate Cornell Dining in obtaining its Chain of Custody certification,” said Kerry Coughlin, MSC regional director, Americas.

“Students across the country are highly interested in the sustainability of their college and university campuses in every aspect and we anticipate many more dining facilities will join Cornell and other higher education institutions participating in the MSC program as a way to ensure and demonstrate that their environmental responsibility extends to the seafood they serve.”

The university’s catering department plays a large part in improving sustainability. It operates a ‘trayless’ dining operation at select sites, sources fair trade coffee served in reusable mugs and sells food-to-go products in biodegradable packaging.