shark
A big supermarket chain in Singapore has said it will stop selling shark fins in it’s shops and will concentrate on only sourcing their fish supplies from sustainable fisheries. This has to be good news but it’s really just a start.
The supermarket chain called Cold Storage Supermarket has 42 outlets in Singapore and is a major player in the food market for the country. What is even more exciting is that Cold Storage Supermarket is just a subsidiary of a large pan-Asia conglomerate called Dairy Farm that has over 5,300 outlets. If the Cold Storage Supermarket move is successful hopefully the policy banning sales of shark fins will be taken up by the group as a whole.
The company worked with WWF Singapore to introduce the new policy and it gives people living in Singapore a main stream option to be able to buy sustainable fish. Over 100,000 tons of fish are consumed each year in Singapore so offering sustainable wild caught fish gives people an option to protect dwindling stocks.
Cold Storage is the first supermarket in Singapore to implement a “no shark fins policy”. It is also the nation’s first retail food chain to source and offer a wide range of sustainable seafood recommended by WWF and offer Marine Stewardship Council (MSC)-certified seafood such as the hake fillet from South Africa.
“We want to play our part towards caring for the environment. Our team is committed to sourcing for quality, sustainable seafood and other products in our efforts to achieve long-term sustainability and marine conservation,” explained Mr Victor Chia, CEO, Cold Storage Supermarket.
“WWF is happy to support Cold Storage in its efforts to make its retail operations more sustainable and promote responsible consumption in Singapore,” said Ms Amy Ho, Managing Director, WWF Singapore. “For a nation where seafood is a popular meal choice, Cold Storage’s commitment offers consumers an opportunity to make choices that will protect fish stocks and endangered marine species over the long term,” she added.
Mr Patrick Caleo, Country Manager Australia and New Zealand, Marine Stewardship Council says: “The Marine Stewardship Council applauds Cold Storage’s efforts to provide customers with the choice of purchasing seafood sourced from sustainable fisheries, and we look forward to working with them in their efforts to offer MSC certified wild-caught seafood products across their stores in the future. As a result of Cold Storage’s efforts thousands of Singaporeans will have access to sustainable seafood which is a great development, and the company should be commended for playing its part in safeguarding seafood stocks for future generations.”
Cold Storage probably senses a change of heart in Pacific Asian countries about eating shark fins especially among the younger trend setters. Many young people now no longer see shark fin soup as the health giving soup it once was viewed as. What was once a requirement on many important menus such as wedding banquets to confer good health and prosperous future is no longer being featured as much as it once was.
Many hotels now offer special shark free banqueting menus. Many shark fin traders will concur that the fins are now mainly consumed by an older generation who remain loyal to traditional beliefs and cultures.
I would certainly like to see much more sustainable fish on sale in Kuala Lumpur and an ending to the sale of shark fins which see most of the shark thrown overboard and wasted.
