SINGAPORE - The next time you eat at any of the Hilton Singapore's food and beverages (F&B) outlets, look out for blue and turquoise labels on the menu.
These labels beside selected dishes indicate that the seafood being served is caught and farmed from a sustainable source.
Certification has been given by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) and the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) - both of which are global non-profit organisations that certify responsibly caught and farmed seafood.
The three F&B outlets at Hilton Singapore - Glow Juice Bar and Cafe, Il Cielo Italian Restaurant and Opus Bar and Grill - are the only restaurants in Asia to have received certifications by either programme.
Some supermarkets and seafood shops here have such labels.
Said Mr Peter Webster, general manager of Hilton Singapore: "There is an urgency to protect the oceans from unsustainable fishing practices, and this is a shared responsibility."
Also part of Hilton Singapore's corporate responsibility initiative is a ban on shark's fin at all restaurants and F&B facilities operated by its owned and managed properties, which started on April 1, 2014.
Mr Webster said that the ban had not affected business.
Singapore is one of the biggest consumers of seafood in the Asia-Pacific, and people collectively eat an average of 140,000 tons of seafood every year.
Said Ms Elaine Tan, CEO of conservation organisation WWF Singapore: "With almost 90 per cent of the oceans already fished to or beyond our capacity, there is an urgent need for more hotels and restaurants in Singapore to follow Hilton's lead."
More hotels in Singapore are planning to hop aboard the sustainable seafood bandwagon in an effort to prevent overfishing, spelling good news for seafood lovers and the environmentally conscious alike.
