The Great Canadian Superstores (owned by Loblaws) are now selling canned shark fin soup in time for the Chinese New Year. After Sharkwater’s release in Canada, Galen Weston, the CEO of Loblaws, brought me out to dinner with his wife Alexandra, and expressed his great interest in supporting the cause…..
Selling shark fins en masse; supporting the destruction of sharks, the oceans and the ecosystems we depend on for survival is how Loblaws supports the cause. Its outrageous that its happening in our own backyard… after we already know shark populations have dropped more than 90%.
Help us fight this, and show Loblaws and Galen Weston that this was a bad decision… and lets get shark fin removed from Canadian Superstores. There’s still time to turn this around.
1. Sell your loblaws stock. Now!
2. Write letters to:
Customer_Service@loblaw.ca
service@provigo.ca
investor@loblaw.ca
shareholders@loblaw.ca
3. And call Galen Weston’s corporate office:
(416) 922-2500
I’m not Candian, but this is totally deplorable in any country. I will definitely send my rage in their direction.
The Canadian government doesn’t have a problem with this?
The Canadian government doesn’t have a problem with most things that harm animals: think of the seal hunt, the fur trade, polar bear hunting, and the plight of the orcas.
A letter a friend wrote:
To Whom it May Concern,
I have recently become aware of the fact that loblaws has chosen to stock sharkfin soup in time for Chinese New Year. In the wake of Rob Stewart’s eye opening documentary on the subject of shark finning and it’s impact on the environment, I think it is not only a selfish but incredibly ignorant decision to stock this product as the detrimental effects of this industry have been clearly documented. Not only does it impact the environment in a time where it is evident how necessary it is to minimize our environmental footprint, but it supports a cruel method of slaughter in order to selfishly create a minimal amount of revenue increase. It’s a dispicable way to represent Canadian companies and what they stand for in the eyes of the world. If Loblaws is willing to brand itself as not only unaware of environmental and animal welfare causes, but also willing to support such industries that are devoid of moral and global scruples, I am thus wary of purchasing any products from this store and my family and I will no longer support the support your company until this issue is rectified.
Thank you in advance for your time, I appreciate your updates of progress on this matter.
Sincerely,
Jamie
Another letter:
Hello,
It has come to our attention that Loblaws & Canadian Superstores will be carrying Shark Fin Soup in time for the Chinese New Year
We at Oceanic Defence urge you to reconsider the selling of any shark product; canned frozen or fresh. The selling of shark products is a direct contribution to the destruction of our own ecosystems.
Shark fining is a barbaric act where sharks are hauled aboard ships and have their fins brutally hacked off and then thrown back into the sea alive where they sink to the bottom and die in agonizing pain.
By selling this product in your stores you are showing a blatant disregard for not only the environment but the species as a whole. Sharks play a crucial part of the aquatic food chain, they keep other populations regulated and also play a direct part in the air we breathe. With populations down some 90+% we cannot afford to loose another shark to this shameful practice. Our own lives depend on them.
Oceanic Defence sponsor’s a website used to showcase businesses that ignore environmental concerns and deal in the endangered shark trade. Unfortunately Loblaws has already made it to the Offenders page: http://www.sharkmurder.com/offenders.htm#loblaws
Please remove any and ALL shark products from your stores including all soups, steaks and other shark related products.
We are here to work with you and look forward to assisting you through this transition.
With respect,
Jeff Shaw
–
I have sent out letters to them am and waiting for a response. I’ll let you know what I get, until then I will NOT be shopping at any Loblaws or Canadian Superstore.
Also this comes at a bad time: 2009 is Year of the Shark.
http://www.year-of-the-shark-2009.org
Please write Loblaw and Provigo.
Do not shop there.
Woo! Just received the following:
Dear Doug Hagler,
Thank you for taking the time to email us as we always appreciate hearing from our customers.
At Loblaw Companies, we strive to offer our customers excellence in customer service alongside offering superior products.
As a company, we are committed to providing our consumers with a wide range of high quality, safe foods that are produced, manufactured and sourced responsibly. We serve a wide range of customers, and are proud of our ability to offer a large variety of choices to meet their expectations.
We have taken steps which we feel support our commitment for responsibly raised and caught fish and seafood products, including a partnership with the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC). We are in the process of reviewing our policies regarding the sale of critical seafood species and are currently developing a future sustainable fishing policy.The shark fin soup product was a new, limited time item for Loblaw available only in select stores. We appreciate the sensitivities around the item that were brought to our attention, and upon close and immediate review we have now removed it from our shelves directly and the item will no longer be featured in our flyers.
As we value our customer feedback, we hope that we have addressed your concerns today and look forward to continuing to serve you.
Kindest regards,
Catherine S.
Sr. Customer Relations Representative
Loblaw Companies
1-800-296-2332
I have contacted Loblaw/Provigo on the shark fin soup issue and put them in contact with sharksavers.org. Here is the response I got. Please commend them on their reaction. Kuddos to them for a positive rsponse.
Dear Isabelle Foisy,
Thank you for taking the time to email us as we always appreciate hearing from our customers.
At Loblaw Companies, we strive to offer our customers excellence in customer service alongside offering superior products.
As a company, we are committed to providing our consumers with a wide range of high quality, safe foods that are produced, manufactured and sourced responsibly. We serve a wide range of customers, and are proud of our ability to offer a large variety of choices to meet their expectations.
We have taken steps which we feel support our commitment for responsibly raised and caught fish and seafood products, including a partnership with the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC). We are in the process of reviewing our policies regarding the sale of critical seafood species and are currently developing a future sustainable fishing policy.The shark fin soup product was a new, limited time item for Loblaw available only in select stores. We appreciate the sensitivities around the item that were brought to our attention, and upon close and immediate review we have now removed it from our shelves directly and the item will no longer be featured in our flyers.
As we value our customer feedback, we hope that we have addressed your concerns today and look forward to continuing to serve you.
Kindest regards,
Catherine S.
Sr. Customer Relations Representative
Loblaw Companies
1-800-296-2332
i’ve just sent an email to all addresses you’ve quoted … keep on fighting human stupidity !!
I have also just sent emails to the listed addresses. Hope its not too late.
I will send email today, to help stop the stupidity…..
I’ve received answers from loblaw too … for me it’s something already … in Italy we’re not used to get so prompt answers from companies and institutions ! I only hope it means they really gonna do something! bye everybody!
i think shark fins that are being selled by loblawas its just like wow and i hate to see a shark die. after seing that film on tv omg i was crying for that sharks! i wish peopel would just leave them alone! if we dont have sharks in canada or any were else we could die. stupid chines peopel use the shark fins for soup THAT DOES NOT EVEN HAVE ANY TASTE!
Wow, it’s remarkable how much change this documentary’s led to.
For a person who’s not quite so keen on swimming in the ocean, I’ve always wanted to help in promoting the preservation of species; sharks included!
I live in Toronto now, but I still love the country I was born in… High in biological diversity, but we’re not so good at protecting it. I remember enjoying going to this beach back there and snorkeling: the reefs were beautiful. Dynamite fishing and boats coming too close have killed the reef though. Now, the whole place looks like rock. It doesn’t have the same life that it used to…
Just wondering… Is Loblaws still selling shark’s fin?
I think its bloody digusting how the government will allow such a thing of shark fins being sold in our canadian stores….
we do so much to stop poachers and other illegal activities to sell that stuff on land and now its being offered in our stores!!!
If people really cared about our ecosystem/marine life then we wouldnt have to fight to stop this bullshit from happening. Screw the chinese rituals cause they are the #1 problem to begin with!!!
And if you guys say you are doing everything in your power to stop this activity its bullshit cause i would be the first person on the governments front door and our national groceries stores protesting to stop from selling shark fins…we dont need to survive on sharks, dolphins, whales, seals and other innocent marine life that continue on being sold on land]
If you guys really cared you would put and end to this cruelty!!!!
[...] Last week it was reported by Rob Stewart (director of the documentary Sharkwater) that both Loblaws and The Great Canadian Superstores were selling canned shark fin soup in the run-up to the Chinese New Year. He wrote on his blog: “After Sharkwater’s release in Canada, Galen Weston, the CEO of Loblaws, brought me out to dinner with his wife Alexandra, and expressed his great interest in supporting the cause…Selling shark fins en masse; supporting the destruction of sharks, the oceans and the ecosystems we depend on for survival is how Loblaws supports the cause. Its outrageous that its happening in our own backyard… after we already know shark populations have dropped more than 90%. Help us fight this, and show Loblaws and Galen Weston that this was a bad decision… and lets get shark fin removed from Canadian Superstores. There’s still time to turn this around.” –Rob Stewart on the Abandon Fear blog [...]
Hi thanks for this nice blog. I am sharing this with all my mates on facebook.com
Thank you..
Is Loblaws still selling fins? I see the SuperStore has pulled them but havent seen anything SPECIFIC to Loblaws…..
it’s called the real canadian superstore, not the great canadian superstore.
thanks for this post! can I get some of your ideas for my blog? I promise not to copy word for word, only the ideas… take care..!
I have a question, but not sure who to ask..
If breeding sharks for food was possible, like we do with cattle, chickens, pigs, etc., would it still be a violation of the law or be morally wrong?
This is a legitimate question, no sarcasm. It has been a question on my mind. If someone can answer this question, it would be great. Thanks