University of California, Berkeley, Becomes First Public University to Earn MSC Sustainable Seafood Certification

BERKELEY, Calif.—The University of California, Berkeley, became the first public university in the United States to earn Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) Chain of Custody certification, which enables Cal Dining to serve its customers MSC-certified sustainable seafood.

The certification process included staff training and an inspection by a third-party certifier. MSC’s “Chain of Custody” system ensures that during every part of the chain, from the fishermen to the distributor, the seafood is not mixed with or substituted for non-certified seafood.

“In line with UC Berkeley’s and Residential and Student Service Program’s commitment to green and sustainable practices, Cal Dining has long been considered a leader in college and university dining, and our team has achieved another milestone,” Shawn LaPean, executive director of dining for Cal Dining, said in a press release. “Five years after becoming the first university dining program in the country to achieve organic certification, we are happy to announce that, UC Berkeley’s Cal Dining is the first public university dining program to be certified by the Marine Stewardship Council.”