Deliveroo has taken action to remove 600 shark fin dishes from its platform globally, from 180 different restaurants, and commits to having no such dishes on the platform in future as it signs up to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF)’s ‘NO SHARK FIN’ pledge.
Over 70 million sharks are killed to satisfy people’s demand for shark-based dishes every year, according to WWF. Sharks are being removed from the ocean faster than they can replace themselves and, for some populations, declines of over 90% have been reported. Globally, 25% of sharks, rays and their close relatives are threatened with extinction.
The WWF’s ‘NO SHARK FIN’ pledge explicitly commits it to “taking shark fin and any related shark products out of our physical and digital menus”. The pledge also makes clear that the company “will not serve it at special request on a case to case basis”.
Sustainable food production and protecting endangered species is something Deliveroo believes in and knows to be important to its consumers. So, to support WWF in raising awareness among consumers, Deliveroo is signing the No Shark Fin Pledge.
Emma Simmonds, Director of Policy at Deliveroo, comments: “This is an important step. Deliveroo wants all the restaurants we work with to promote sustainable food production, and that must include protecting endangered species. We are pleased to sign up to the WWF’s No Shark Fin pledge and take this action. We will work with WWF to see what more we can do in this area. We are committed to being the definitive food company with the widest choice for consumer, but that should go hand in hand with protecting our natural environment. Great food shouldn’t cost the earth.’
“This commitment by Deliveroo is crucial to saving sharks and the ecosystems that depend on them. As sustainable options are barely available for sharks, crashing consumer demand is essential. Deliveroo’s new commitment covers some of the largest global shark fin markets, and we encourage other F&B establishments to follow suit,” said Dr. Andy Cornish, Leader of the Sharks Restoring the Balance initiative at WWF.
