Tabletop advertisements in the Usdan Marketplace dining area have emphasized the environmental sustainability of the fish served by Bon Appétit.
However, Advanced Fresh Concepts (AFC), the company that provides sushi under contact with Bon Appétit, does not employ the same sustainability standards as Bon Appétit. Students have expressed disappointment with both the lack of clarity and the lack of sustainable practices.
The Monterey Bay Aquarium, an internationally recognized aquarium and environmental organization in California, publishes widely used guidelines for environmentally sustainable seafood products. But when asked if the sushi is produced following these guidelines, Missy Davis, dietician for Bon Appétit, wrote via email that it “unfortunately…does not.”
Only the salmon and tuna in AFC sushi have been called into question. The Café also sells sushi made with shrimp and eel, as well as other vegetarian sushi products. It has not been determined if other types of fish in AFC’s products follow the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Guidelines.
According to the AFC website (afcsushi.com), the raw materials used are “in full compliance with seafood HACCP, GMP and federal, state, and local requirements.” However, HACCP and GMP regulations are primarily focused on human health and lack the Monterey Bay guidelines’ emphasis on ocean sustainability.
AFC did not respond to email requests for comment.
The fliers in question claim that “Bon Appétit Management Company does not serve any fish on the Monterey Bay Aquariums Seafood Watch ’Avoid’ list.” However, according to Bon Appétit’s resident district manager Delmar Crim, the fliers placed on tables in Usdan referred only to the food in the main dining area, and not to the sushi from Advanced Fresh Concepts.
However, some students were not aware of this distinction, and thought that Bon Appétit’s claims regarding ocean sustainability included AFC’s sushi.
“I assumed the fliers were true,” said Dana Powell, a senior and member of Environmental Organizers’ Network (EON).
Crim stated that the company has plans to remedy some of the sustainability issues by Nov. 15, which include replacing the farmed salmon in the sushi with wild salmon. According to Crim, due to the small size of the sashimi, this would not cause a significant increase in prices.
These efforts will be part of Bon Appétit’s overall effort to provide environmentally sustainable options to students, Crim said.
Meanwhile, students remain concerned both with sustainability and also having access to pertinent information necessary to make informed food purchases.
“How can we ever work towards sustainability at Wesleyan if we aren’t given accurate information?” said Tanya Llewellyn ’08, a member of the Environmental Organizers’ Network (EON).
“If I had known about the sushi,” said Powell, “I would have made different purchasing decisions.”
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