SEVERAL leading restaurants and hotel chains have pledged their support for the “No Shark Fins Policy” and do not feature shark fin soup in their menus.
One of them is the Shangri-La chain of hotels. The chain removed shark fin soup from the restaurant menus of all 91 of their hotels in December 2012, says Shangri-La Hotel Kuala Lumpur’s area director of communications Datuk Rosemarie Wee.
“We came up with a few alternatives to shark fin soup, which are very well accepted by our younger generation.
“Most newlyweds now do not want shark fin soup for their wedding dinners.
“However, understanding the need for luxury food at weddings, we offer black chicken soup doubled-boiled with conch and cordyceps, ginseng soup double-boiled with abalone and black chicken.
“More expensive choices include ‘monk jumped over the wall’ and Mandarin duck soup double-boiled with fish maw and matsutake mushrooms. We also follow a sustainable seafood practice at our hotel.”
The Hyatt chain instituted a complete ban on consumption and procurement of shark fins at all Hyatt food and beverage outlets globally in 2012 with full implementation effective in May 2014.
“We strongly believe we have the responsibility to ensure our seafood products are thoughtfully sourced and carefully served,” says Grand Hyatt Kuala Lumpur executive sous chef Michel Eschmann.
He says Hyatt wants to meet the needs of the present generation without compromising what’s best for the future generation and the hotel is offering alternatives, such as fish maw, sea cucumber, bird’s nest, conch and abalone in-line with Hyatt’s practice in seeking to reduce and eliminate sourcing of highly vulnerable seafood species identified by WWF.
“This is not just a trend, it is a conscious lifestyle that will inevitably inspire change in the way we eat and every seafood choice we make.
“As part of Hyatt’s sustainable seafood effort, we are working towards buying more than 15 per cent of our seafood supply from fisheries or farms that have been certified by the Marine Stewardship Council or the Aquaculture Stewardship Council.
“It is important to note that this is the first phase of our long-term seafood sustainability strategy in partnership with WWF.”
Hilton Worldwide banned shark fin in all restaurants and food and beverage facilities operated by its portfolio of 645 owned and managed properties in 2014.
“Hilton Kuala Lumpur is committed to supporting the environment and responsible procurement. Shark fin was removed from all menus a number of years ago and this has been overwhelmingly supported by our guests,” says regional general manager, Malaysia, Hilton Worldwide, Jamie Mead.