"Sustainable sushi is the industry's future"

HALIFAX, June 16 /CNW/ - Canada's largest sushi company is celebrating International Sushi Day, June 18, by announcing its commitment to protecting the world's oceans in partnership with SeaChoice, a Canadian sustainable seafood program delivered by the David Suzuki Foundation, Living Oceans Society, Ecology Action Centre, Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society and the Sierra Club BC.

"We are delighted to partner with David Suzuki and the SeaChoice program on our commitment to become the first sustainable sushi company in Canada," said Carl Sparkes, President of Bento Nouveau. "As leaders in the sushi category, we feel strongly about supporting positive change in sourcing and harvesting our oceans resources."

Bento Nouveau is taking a multi-pronged approach to its sustainable seafood initiative. Steps include:

    
    - Already switching 65% of their product offering to sustainable fish and
      seafood including multiple varieties of California Rolls and the
      replacement of red-ranked tuna with sustainable Albacore tuna. Products
      that contain sustainable fish and seafood will be identified by a
      SeaChoice sticker.
    - Committing to aggressively expanding Bento's procurement of sustainable
      sources of seafood; with the goal of becoming completely sustainable by
      2012.
    - Working with suppliers, partners, employees, customers, and members of
      the conservation community to ensure a productive, sustainable future
      for both wild and farmed seafood products.
    

"In doing this, we are responding to consumer values. Research shows us that people want to buy seafood that is caught or farmed in ways that support the long-term health of stocks and of the oceans," said Mr. Sparkes.

Dr. David Suzuki praised the sustainable sushi initiative and thanked Bento for what they were doing to get people to change their direction and make better choices. Bill Wareham, Senior Marine Conservation Specialist at the David Suzuki Foundation, commented, "We are pleased to partner with Bento Nouveau in promoting sustainable seafood and healthy oceans. This type of leadership is what we need to provide sustainable seafood options for consumers across Canada." The David Suzuki Foundation is a partner in SeaChoice, a national program that provides science-based sustainability assessments of seafood and helps Canadian businesses and consumers make sustainable seafood choices.

As the largest sushi company in Canada, Bento serves more than 10 million servings of sushi per year through a network of 30 quick service 'grab and go' sushi bars in premier shopping malls and office towers; more than 350 on-site sushi bars in quality supermarkets and food service facilities and over 2,000 supermarket and institutional food service locations serviced by one of four HACCP production facilities.

/NOTE TO PHOTO EDITORS: A photo accompanying this release is available at http://photos.newswire.ca. Images are free to accredited members of the media/

For further information: Claire Salisbury, Director of Marketing, Bento Nouveau, [phone] ext 316, [email protected]