With Maine partnership, hospitality giant Aramark will buy more New England seafood

Courtesy / Gulf of Maine Research Institute Food service giant Aramark on Thursday said it will commit to more New England seafood purchases through a partnership with the Gulf of Maine Research Institute.

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By Jessica Hall

Aramark (NYSE: ARMK), a multinational hospitality, facilities and uniform services company, on Thursday said it will increase its local seafood purchases in New England through a partnership with the Gulf of Maine Research Institute.

Over the next three years, all of Aramark’s higher education, health care and business dining operations in New England will aim to buy 100% of their whitefish from supplies that caught or grown and processed in New England. At least 75% of all whitefish species, including haddock, Atlantic pollock and monkfish, will be verified as "Gulf of Maine Responsibly Harvested" species.

The company said it will require New England suppliers for its higher education, health care and business dining accounts to participate as licensed dealers with the Gulf of Maine Responsibly Harvested program, a product sustainability certification overseen by GMRI.

Philadelphia-based Aramark will report detailed progress on whitefish purchasing annually to the Portland-based institute, including sales volume for New England accounts in those sectors.

“Fishing communities across New England work hard to harvest seafood responsibly from our waters, and when a company like Aramark makes a commitment to purchasing fish locally, it has an important impact by giving local seafood a leg up in a very global marketplace,” said Kyle Foley, senior program manager of the GMRI’s sustainable seafood program.

Aramark said the new initiative is part of its efforts to reduce emissions, increase responsible sourcing and operate efficiently, minimize food waste and reduce packaging.