Washington, DC – Have you experienced certified seafood yet? It’s a question the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) and Sushi Maki restaurants will ask customers throughout the Miami area this fall as part of a multimedia consumer outreach campaign promoting the benefits of eating responsibly farmed seafood.
Launching in late September and continuing through October – National Seafood Month – the nonprofit organization and national sushi chain will host the first ever “Sushi Maki Certified Seafood Experience,” featuring an array of activations aimed at creating greater awareness, understanding and interest in modern aquaculture and responsibly raised, ASC-certified seafood.
As the world’s leading certification program and label for farmed seafood, ASC works with consumers, farming communities and environmentally-minded companies like Sushi Maki to ensure the highest standards are being met, from farm to fork. Sushi Maki has been the premiere, award-winning name in sushi throughout Greater Miami since 2000, serving innovative dishes made with premium seafood at 24 locations, including full-service restaurants and sushi shops at popular grocery stores and universities.
The Sushi Maki Certified Seafood Experience will include:
· A September 21 kick-off reception at Sushi Maki’s flagship restaurant at Bay Shore Landing Marina in Coconut Grove, Fla. where a celebrated chef will serve a curated menu of ASC-certified dishes.
· Presentations will include:
§ ASC’s “New Way to Seafood” story: showing how new technologies and innovations in aquaculture can better ensure seafood is what it claims to be and that the environment where seafood was raised has been cared for.
§ The benefits of seeking out certified seafood via ASC’s sea green label.
§ A preview of Sushi Maki and ASC’s activities throughout National Seafood Month.
- A special menu at its seven Sushi Maki restaurant locations from kickoff through October celebrating its certified seafood.
· Within the restaurants, interactive materials will be on display featuring more information about ASC’s certification and label.
· A QR code will draw guests to fun digital activities surveying their certification knowledge and allowing them entry to win restaurant discounts and other prizes.
· Special offers and activations at Sushi Maki’s Whole Foods locations, also from kickoff through October.
- University activations at FIU, University of Miami and Nova.
“As the first sushi chain in North America to offer certified responsible seafood, we’re especially inspired to collaborate with ASC on this experience,” said Abe Ng, Sushi Maki CEO. “Preparing ASC-certified seafood not only increases credibility and confidence among our guests, but allows Sushi Maki to attract and retain passionate, talented team members who are as committed to improving the planet as we are. Whether it’s how they eat or where they work, our community wants to be part of a more sustainable world, and we’re delighted to add a new dimension to our restaurants with this promotion.”
“Sushi Maki’s commitment to source ASC-certified seafood sets them apart as a leader among sushi restaurants in the U.S., which are often left out of the sustainable seafood conversation,” said Kathleen McDavitt, ASC U.S. Market Development Manager. “We applaud their continuous efforts to increase consumer understanding and appreciation of responsibly raised seafood in general, and of ASC-certified seafood in particular. We look forward to launching an engaging slate of fall activities that take this awareness even further.”
About the Aquaculture Stewardship Council
Since 2010, ASC has been creating and enforcing the world’s strictest combinations of standards for:
- Improving farmed seafood quality and safety.
- Ensuring supply chain integrity from the farm to the store.
- Providing the most comprehensive transparency through public disclosure.
- Protecting the environment, workers and communities.
It’s the best way to ensure the seafood you’re buying is what it claims to be. For more information, visit https://asc-aqua.org/.
About Sushi Maki
Founded in 2000, Sushi Maki is the award-winning leader in Japanese cuisine, offering premium-quality fare and relaxed dining atmospheres throughout South Florida. Passionate about providing the freshest and finest quality sushi, Sushi Maki maintains uncompromising standards while putting a modern spin on the traditional sushi experience. Always environmentally aware, Sushi Maki was the first sushi chain in the United States to earn Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification, sourcing seafood from sustainable fisheries and promoting responsible ecological harvesting habits. The company is also certified by the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC), the world’s leading certification for environmentally and socially responsible farmed seafood. With over 20 locations, including restaurants in South Miami, Dadeland, Coral Gables, Palmetto Bay, Coconut Grove, Kendall and Miami International Airport, as well as sushi stations in over a dozen Whole Foods Markets, the University of Miami, Nova Southeastern University, Florida International University, Baptist Hospital and the Hard Rock Stadium, Sushi Maki has grown steadily and achieved significant profitability. True to the company’s mantra of “spreading goodness,” Sushi Maki has been at the forefront of the sustainable seafood movement, leading to increased environmental involvement and sustainability awareness within the Miami community.
