Shark Fin on the menu with All Nipon Airlines

Worrying news in the fight against Shark Finning. A Business Travel Magazine published a letter from an outraged reader who reported that All Nipon Airlines (ANA) served porridge with “gently simmered sharl fin”.

Diving website www.scubadviser.com wrote to ANU to voice their concern and received the following response.

‘ANA works hard to offer the best in service while making an impact on the environment with initiatives such as our global reforestation projects, coral planting and drastic pollution reduction efforts. 

ANA also makes every effort to provide the finest food available, containing seasonal ingredients that satisfy the many different cultural tastes of our premium customers.  Our priority has always been to serve meals that have been carefully prepared and of the highest possible quality. 

Shark fin is considered a delicacy in many Asian cultures, including Japan. At ANA we do aim to offer our passengers cuisine that is representative of what might be served in a top Japanese restaurant.  While we fully appreciate your [reader's] concern about it being served on ANA international flights, we have decided that shark fin is a popular dish that will remain on a small number of menus on selected routes.  ANA is an airline that prides itself on its contribution to the environment and we can confirm that the shark fin served in our dishes is produced in accordance with the law of Japan and the regulatory agencies of the countries we fly in.’