Last month saw a series of new policy developments for sharks in Brazil.Brazil’s biggest hospital complex said it would strike shark meat from a planned 2026 procurement, though the boneless fish could still be served at some of its institutes.The environment agency issued a host of new rules, including a ban on shark fins detached from the carcass, drawing ire from industry groups.A court ruled that federal procurements of shark meat for public institutions must meet new species labeling and traceability requirements.
The University of São Paulo Medical School Hospital said it would cancel a plan to buy more than 17 metric tons of shark meat as part of a 2026 procurement, citing concerns over heavy metals.
HCFMUSP is the largest public hospital complex in Latin America. It consists of at least eight institutes in São Paulo, Brazil’s largest city, including a world-renowned heart center serving hundreds of thousands of patients annually.
Brazil is the world’s top consumer of shark meat. A 2025 investigation by Mongabay found that government purchases are a significant driver of Brazil’s shark meat consumption, with the low-priced meat served in thousands of hospitals, schools and prisons in the South American nation of 213 million people.
