Responsible seafood harvesting is the way to go

From product sourcing to garnishing, sustainability is increasingly playing an integral role in the innovation and profitability of the food and beverage industry.

With climate change threatening the industry that provides nourishment to humanity, the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) is urging all those involved in food production to “accelerate and scale up change in patterns of consumption and production.” The UNDP also calls for more partnerships among government, private sector and nongovernmental organizations to encourage the shift to a more resource-efficient and greener circular economy.

READ: Food for thought: Public urged to reduce food waste during festive season

Seafood grocery Cold Storage recently teamed up with Save Philippine Seas (SPS) for the “GenSea: Dive into sustainability” campaign. This collaboration aims to build a community and platform for like-minded leaders. It also aims to deep-dive into sustainable fishing practices, responsible sourcing and environmental conservation through educational content and fundraising events.

“This partnership emphasizes our commitment to protecting marine ecosystems while delivering high-quality and sustainable products to our customers,” says Marco Qua, the 42-year-old president of Cold Storage Seafood. “If we’re benefiting from it (seas), we must do our best to protect it.”

Cold Storage has been in the business of providing quality frozen seafood for 27 years. Qua says that since 2019, the store has been taking steps toward more sustainable operations. “It wasn’t easy; we were learning as we go … We have always been open and eager to learn how to be better in this area of our business,” he adds.

Dream partnership

Morris Qua, vice president for operations of Cold Storage, says that their family business has prioritized responsible fishing by establishing closer ties with local fishing groups through the launch of a product line that is focused on local patches. A local patch is where fishing vessels interact with their target species, thereby impacting ecosystems and seafloor habitats.

“We’ve always worked with responsible fishing partners. We want the next generation to be able to enjoy the patches that we enjoyed 30 years ago, which is why we’re giving importance to sustainability,” says Morris.

One way of promoting responsible fishing is by supporting the closed season. “This way, our fishes in the sea can have time to grow,” he adds.

SPS, on the other hand, is a nonprofit organization that advocates for coastal and marine resources conservation by empowering “seatizens” for collective action and behavior change. “We’re trying to get people to fall in love with the sea to appreciate the sea. And we do that through experiential learning activities,” says Anna Oposa, executive director and chief mermaid of SPS.

Oposa recounts that a few years ago, SPS drew up a list of dream partnerships, including one that can help them educate people about sustainable sourcing of seafood. SPS crossed out that item on their list when they received an email from Cold Storage asking if they could work together.

“It is an opportunity for us to bring that topic into the mainstream so that more people can understand how important our marine resources are because it’s something that also supports our economy,” she says.

Zero-waste policy

Kicking off the GenSea campaign, Cold Storage and SPS brought together the country’s top “chefpreneurs” to share insights into the best practices of sustainability: Nicco Santos and Quenee Vilar of Restaurant Aurora, Stephan Duhesme of Metiz/Automat, Patrick Go of Your Local and Rhea and Jayjay SyCip of The Fatted Calf. Chef Angelo Comsti moderated the panel discussion.

Santos says that nothing goes to waste at Restaurant Aurora. Being an advocate of food waste reduction, he says that all the bones, peels and even trimmings must be repurposed into broths or seasoning powder. “[This is] something that we want to pass on to the new generation of cooks. [It’s] not all [about] saving money, but you also save so many,” he explains.

READ: These restaurants are pushing the zero-waste movement in the US

Vilar adds that to avoid wasting food ingredients, they put on their thinking caps and formulate new dish from the leftovers. “We’re actually very happy when we see a lot of waste because that’s an opportunity for us to think of something else to do and customers actually see those efforts,” she adds.

Santos adds that such zero-waste policy has led to an improvement in profit margins, allowing them to provide better compensation for their staff.

SyCip believes that the practice of sustainability is important to increase productivity and production, especially for the agricultural sector. He says that the Fatted Calf “started with a desire to help farmers.” He wanted to source ingredients directly from the farmers. Now, he is also buying from the fisherfolk of Palawan for his seafood menu.

But he doesn’t just buy; he scrutinizes the catch, he says. For instance, he asks the fishers about their fishing methods. “Was it [caught by] net? Was it spearfishing? And we don’t buy fish that are small,” he explains.

His wife, Rhea SyCip—who is also the owner Flour Pot Manila—recounts that her bakery focuses on helping farmers by giving them proper compensation for picking and foraging the fruits for her cakes. “It was just a way to help out farmers and use products that I know would be appreciated by the market.”

Duhesme, for his part, says that Metiz/Automat refrains from purchasing vegetables and meat from big companies. “We work with very small farmers that grow the meat in very specific ways for taste purposes. We do the same thing with vegetables; all of them are organic from small farms, not from big surface farms,” he explains.

Duhesme also points out that part of his sustainability plan is to allow his employees to thrive in their chosen career. He takes care of his staff by ensuring proper working conditions and giving them ample paid vacation leaves.

“We also opt for a smaller team that’s a bit more professional—kind of like in Europe —so they’ll get paid more. Obviously, it means we all have to work a little harder. But nobody’s complaining. They’re thriving. It’s actually about profitability sharing,” he adds.

The panel agrees that raising consumer consciousness will stimulate demand for more sustainable products. “It’s more of eating smart, knowing where your food comes from, knowing where the restaurant gets their produce. I think it’s a big factor by helping the proper channels. Sustainability encompasses a lot of sectors. It’s not just in the food industry,” says SyCip.