GSA removes references to third-party sustainability certification for seafood
September 24, 2013 | 06:57 PM
In a development that reflects controversies over certifying sustainability in the food industry, the General Services Administration announced today it has removed references to third-party certifiers in its guidance to concessions and vending operations on federal property.
Darren Blue
GSA Assistant Commissioner Darren Blue made the announcement at a Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Subcommittee on Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries and Coast Guard hearing on “The Role of Certification in Rewarding Sustainable Fishing.”
Blue explained that GSA had developed the guidelines under a 2009 executive order from President Barack Obama directing federal agencies to leverage acquisitions to encourage markets for sustainable products and services.
In the original guidelines, GSA encouraged vendors crafting proposals to provide concessions or vending services in federal facilities “to refer to the Monterey Bay Aquarium and the Marine Stewardship Council or other equivalent systems when developing proposals.”
GSA consulted with the Health and Human Services Department on the guidelines, but did not consult with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which has jurisdiction over the nation’s fisheries and a mandate to ensure that they are sustainable.
The guidelines, which are used by federal agencies including the military and the National Park Service for making purchasing decisions, have caused an uproar in Alaska, where eight seafood companies have withdrawn their financial support for the Marine Stewardship Council, a well-known third-party certifier.
Stephanie Moreland, the fisheries policy adviser to Alaska Gov. Sean Parnell, a Republican, said Alaska recognizes the importance of outside certification “in some markets” but that “no single eco-label should strive to serve as the label for seafood sustainability.”
Sen. Mark Begich, D-Alaska
Sen. Mark Begich, D-Alaska, the subcommittee chairman, praised GSA’s rewrite of the seafood sustainability guidelines but asked Blue how GSA could have proceeded with the guide without consulting NOAA. Blue said he could not explain the process except to say that not consulting NOAA had been “an oversight.”
Begich also said the Interior Department had informed him that the National Park Service would follow the new guidelines. Blue said the new guidelines should be released within a few weeks but did not say what would replace the third-party entities for certification references.
Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska
Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, has introduced legislation called the Responsible Seafood Certification and Labeling Act, which would ban U.S. federal agencies from using third-party, non-governmental entities in seafood sustainability certification.
“I appreciate the GSA reviewing its policy allowing third-party certifiers to have an undue influence on federal decision-making by determining what seafood is allowed to be procured by federal agencies for our National Parks nationwide, troops overseas, or our own school children,” Murkowski said.
Today’s hearing was one of a series to be held before reauthorization of the Magnuson-Stevenson Act, which gives NOAA the mandate to ensure sustainability of the fisheries.
Samuel Rauch
At the hearing, Samuel Rauch, the acting assistant administrator for NOAA, noted that the agency has established FishWatch, a website to educate consumers on the responsible management of U.S. fisheries.
Rauch also noted that the agency, “at its discretion issues declarative public statements in the form of letters in response to requests from harvest sector groups on whether a particularly fishery is ‘sustainably managed’ based on the Magnuson-Stevenson Act national standards.”
He added, “In these letters we highlight the fact that, in the U.S., we have virtually eliminated overfishing and are rebuilding overfished stocks to sustainable levels in all federally managed fisheries.”
Rauch also noted that the Marine Fisheries Advisory Committee is conducting a policy study of whether the agency’s role in seafood certification should be beyond the status quo.
“Perspectives span widely so far, ranging from a desire for the federal government to remain uninvolved to requests for NMFS to regulate the use of ‘sustainability’ in the same or similar way the U.S. Department of Agriculture regulates the term ‘organic,’ ” he said.
Different options are being evaluated including benefits and costs, and the report is due next month, he noted.
John Connell, president of the National Fisheries Institute, an industry group, testified that Congress “should clarify that NOAA is the arbiter of sustainability of U.S.-caught fish” and that “NOAA should buy a printing press and develop a robust Twitter account” to get out the message that “NOAA oversees a world-class fisheries management system, with most stocks in excellent shape.”
Jeffrey Rice, senior director of sustainability for Wal-Mart, testified that the company uses several outside certifiers of seafood sustainability to meet the interests of its consumers, but has asked the Sustainability Consortium, an organization managed by the University of Arkansas and Arizona State University, to develop new criteria for the company’s sustainability index.
Darren Blue
GSA Assistant Commissioner Darren Blue made the announcement at a Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Subcommittee on Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries and Coast Guard hearing on “The Role of Certification in Rewarding Sustainable Fishing.”
Blue explained that GSA had developed the guidelines under a 2009 executive order from President Barack Obama directing federal agencies to leverage acquisitions to encourage markets for sustainable products and services.
In the original guidelines, GSA encouraged vendors crafting proposals to provide concessions or vending services in federal facilities “to refer to the Monterey Bay Aquarium and the Marine Stewardship Council or other equivalent systems when developing proposals.”
GSA consulted with the Health and Human Services Department on the guidelines, but did not consult with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which has jurisdiction over the nation’s fisheries and a mandate to ensure that they are sustainable.
The guidelines, which are used by federal agencies including the military and the National Park Service for making purchasing decisions, have caused an uproar in Alaska, where eight seafood companies have withdrawn their financial support for the Marine Stewardship Council, a well-known third-party certifier.
Stephanie Moreland, the fisheries policy adviser to Alaska Gov. Sean Parnell, a Republican, said Alaska recognizes the importance of outside certification “in some markets” but that “no single eco-label should strive to serve as the label for seafood sustainability.”
Sen. Mark Begich, D-Alaska
Sen. Mark Begich, D-Alaska, the subcommittee chairman, praised GSA’s rewrite of the seafood sustainability guidelines but asked Blue how GSA could have proceeded with the guide without consulting NOAA. Blue said he could not explain the process except to say that not consulting NOAA had been “an oversight.”
Begich also said the Interior Department had informed him that the National Park Service would follow the new guidelines. Blue said the new guidelines should be released within a few weeks but did not say what would replace the third-party entities for certification references.
Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska
Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, has introduced legislation called the Responsible Seafood Certification and Labeling Act, which would ban U.S. federal agencies from using third-party, non-governmental entities in seafood sustainability certification.
“I appreciate the GSA reviewing its policy allowing third-party certifiers to have an undue influence on federal decision-making by determining what seafood is allowed to be procured by federal agencies for our National Parks nationwide, troops overseas, or our own school children,” Murkowski said.
Today’s hearing was one of a series to be held before reauthorization of the Magnuson-Stevenson Act, which gives NOAA the mandate to ensure sustainability of the fisheries.
Samuel Rauch
At the hearing, Samuel Rauch, the acting assistant administrator for NOAA, noted that the agency has established FishWatch, a website to educate consumers on the responsible management of U.S. fisheries.
Rauch also noted that the agency, “at its discretion issues declarative public statements in the form of letters in response to requests from harvest sector groups on whether a particularly fishery is ‘sustainably managed’ based on the Magnuson-Stevenson Act national standards.”
He added, “In these letters we highlight the fact that, in the U.S., we have virtually eliminated overfishing and are rebuilding overfished stocks to sustainable levels in all federally managed fisheries.”
Rauch also noted that the Marine Fisheries Advisory Committee is conducting a policy study of whether the agency’s role in seafood certification should be beyond the status quo.
“Perspectives span widely so far, ranging from a desire for the federal government to remain uninvolved to requests for NMFS to regulate the use of ‘sustainability’ in the same or similar way the U.S. Department of Agriculture regulates the term ‘organic,’ ” he said.
Different options are being evaluated including benefits and costs, and the report is due next month, he noted.
John Connell, president of the National Fisheries Institute, an industry group, testified that Congress “should clarify that NOAA is the arbiter of sustainability of U.S.-caught fish” and that “NOAA should buy a printing press and develop a robust Twitter account” to get out the message that “NOAA oversees a world-class fisheries management system, with most stocks in excellent shape.”
Jeffrey Rice, senior director of sustainability for Wal-Mart, testified that the company uses several outside certifiers of seafood sustainability to meet the interests of its consumers, but has asked the Sustainability Consortium, an organization managed by the University of Arkansas and Arizona State University, to develop new criteria for the company’s sustainability index.
