The Hong Kong government has announced plans to drop shark fin from the menus at official functions and ban employees from eating the dish elsewhere, BusinessWeek reports.
The ban will extend to blue fin tuna and black moss and is part of the city’s plans to adopt sustainable food-consumption habits, the government said in a press release dated Sept. 13. More than 73 million sharks’ fins are sliced off every year globally, according to a June 20 statement from Korean Air Lines Co. citing research data. The Seoul-based carrier joined Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd. and Air New Zealand Ltd. in refusing to transport the commodity.
Around half of the global shark fin trade passes through Hong Kong, the majority of which is bound for mainland China.
“The government will keep in mind local and international trends on green living in line with a sustainability-conscious lifestyle and update the list of items from time to time,” a government spokesperson said.
Consumption of shark fin is down in mainland China as well, thanks to Xi Jinping’s much vaunted anti-corruption campaign which has seen many lower level officials tightening their belts. China’s government is expected to introduce a ban similar to Hong Kong’s within the next few years.
Of course, they could just serve fake, environmentally-friendly ‘shark fin’, since no one can tell the difference.
[Image credit: @foodomat]
