Rita Ora exudes Hollywood glamour in an elegant white evening gown and matching gloves as she attends the Prince's Trust Global Gala in New York The move has been slated by animal rights campaigners, who labelled it a ‘cynical sales ploy’.Īstrid Fuchs, of Whale and Dolphin Conservation, said in a statement: ‘This latest cynical sales ploy comes at a time when the fisheries agency in Japan is aiming to expand the nation’s whale-catch quotas – and possibly increase the list of species that can be killed.’Ĭonsumption of whale meat has declined since the 1960s as more traditional livestock - including pork, chicken and beef - has become more affordable. The products on sale mainly contain whale caught in Japan, a company spokesperson said, with prices ranging from 1,000 yen (£6) to 3,000 yen (£18). The firm has recently set up two similar outlets in Tokyo, plans to open a fourth in the western city of Osaka next month, and hopes to grow to 100 locations over the next five years. Wearing a whale-shaped hat, Kyodo Senpaku President Hideki Tokoro greeted prospective customers at the firm's latest 'unmanned store' - a trio of vending machines in Motomachi, an upmarket shopping district home to fashion boutiques and artisan bakeries. Japan has about 4.1 million vending machines in operation, the most in the world per capita, according to a trade group.Īnd bear meat is not the only unusual food item to feature in the country's vending machines - some feature insects including beetles as well as hamburgers.Īnd in January this year, a Japanese whaling firm unveiled vending machines offering whale sashimi, whale steak and whale bacon in Yokohama in hopes of reviving sales of a food long in decline and shunned by many supermarkets.Ī Japanese whaling company provoked a wave of criticism from animal rights activists over the installation of vending machines selling whale meat in January this year 'It can be enjoyed in a wide range of dishes, from stew to steaks.' The Soba Goro restaurant installed the vending machine in a bid to make the bear meat a staple of the region - and put their eatery on the map for tourists visiting the area.īetween 10 to 15 packages of bear meat - each weighing 250g - are sold each week, but supplies can run low as the bear hunting season is limited.Ī Soba Goro spokesperson told the newspaper: 'Bear meat tastes clean, and it doesn't get tough, even when cold. The wild bears - including black bears - are captured in the mountains near Semboku and killed by members of a local hunting club before being processed at a slaughterhouse. While most vending machines feature images of sweets and drinks, this one has various pictures of lean and fatty bear meat. ![]() Pictured: A file image of a black bear cub in Japan A vending machine in the Japanese city of Semboku is selling fresh bear meat.
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