First Scandinavian hotel group to offer their guests sustainable seafood

Norwegian owned Nordic Choice Hotel Group, comprised of five hotel chains, has obtained Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) and Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) certification for all its hotel restaurants in Norway and Sweden. Guests at Nordic Choice hotels can now enjoy sustainably fished and responsibly farmed seafood at almost 200 locations.

“We are delighted to see Nordic Choice Hotel Group delivering on their commitment to the MSC’s vision of oceans teeming with life; today, tomorrow and for future generations,” said Minna Epps, Program Director for MSC Scandinavia. “Swedish consumers are very environmentally conscious and look out for ecolabels. 75% of the Swedish fish consumers believe that to save our oceans we need to only consume seafood that comes from sustainable sources. By getting certified Nordic Choice Hotel Group ensure the traceability of their seafood and thereby increase consumer confidence,” she continued.

Sustainability in their DNA

Nordic Choice is famous for its commitment to sustainable practices and by getting certified and displaying the MSC and ASC logos on their menus, they give guests a chance to contribute to responsible fishing. In 2015, the hotel group became the first in Scandinavia to have one of its branches MSC certified – the Japanese spa and conference hotel Yasuragi outside of Stockholm – and now the rest of the group’s Swedish and Norwegian hotels follow this example.

“Nordic Choice hotels are signature brands in the Scandinavian market. We are delighted to see that they have adopted sustainability as part of their brand identity and are committed to serving MSC and ASC certified seafood in their restaurants. Guests are served tasteful seafood dishes they can consume with a clean conscience,” said Barbara Janker, Commercial Marketing Manager for Scandinavia, ASC

Making sustainable choices

Today there are plenty of MSC labelled products to choose from in Scandinavian supermarkets, especially in Sweden where consumers can find more than 1,600 products with the MSC ecolabel. According to a consumer survey from 2016, awareness of the MSC among Swedish consumers is over 50% and making sustainable choices is high on their agenda. However, it is still difficult to choose MSC in restaurants and this bold move from Nordic Choice is a push in the right direction.

“For us, choosing responsibly is the only way forward. If we want to serve seafood in the future, we must let our restaurants offer the best options there are for our oceans: MSC and ASC. This gives our guests the chance to contribute to sustainable fishing and responsible aquaculture,” said Catherine Dehli, Sustainability Director at Nordic Choice Hotels.

The MSC or ASC ecolabel on the menu shows that the seafood can be traced back to an MSC certified fishery or an ASC certified farm.