More than 20 per cent of 25,000 seafood samples worldwide were mislabelled, according to ocean conservation group Oceana.
Seafood lovers, are you getting “catfished” at the dinner table?
It’s very possible. One in 5 seafood samples tested worldwide turn out to be completely different from what the menu or packaging says, according to a report on seafood fraud released this week by the ocean conservation group Oceana. Of the more than 25,000 seafood samples the group analyzed, 20 per cent were incorrectly labelled.
“It is likely that the average consumer has eaten mislabeled fish for sure,” said Beth Lowell, the senior campaign director for Oceana and an author of the paper. “You’re getting ripped off, while you enjoyed your meal you’re paying a high price for a low fish.”
The biggest impostor, fittingly, was farmed Asian catfish, a fish with white flesh that is easily disguised when it’s filleted and drenched in sauce. It was sold in place of 18 types of more expensive fish, including perch, cod and grouper.
The report is a sort of meta-analysis of more than 200 studies from 55 countries. One of those studies found that in Italy, 82 per cent of the 200 perch, groupers and swordfish sampled were mislabeled. King mackerel, which is high in mercury, was sold as “barracuda” and “wahoo” in South Africa. In Hong Kong, only 1 out of 29 samples of “abalone” was correctly labelled. Two sushi chefs in Santa Monica in Southern California were charged with selling endangered whale meat as fatty tuna.
<iframe src="https://www.google.com/maps/d/embed?mid=1WX1NecAhINcVsPyLVYuh1hkY7DU" width="640" height="480"></iframe>
Using the various studies, the researchers created an interactive map that shows where they found cases of phoney fish. The studies include DNA analyses from peer-reviewed papers, newspaper investigations and about 10 of Oceana’s own studies. The report found examples of mislabeling at every level of the seafood supply chain, including the wholesaler, the importer and the retailer.
https://www.thestar.com/news/world/...-seafood-samples-are-frauds-report-finds.html
Seafood lovers, are you getting “catfished” at the dinner table?
It’s very possible. One in 5 seafood samples tested worldwide turn out to be completely different from what the menu or packaging says, according to a report on seafood fraud released this week by the ocean conservation group Oceana. Of the more than 25,000 seafood samples the group analyzed, 20 per cent were incorrectly labelled.
“It is likely that the average consumer has eaten mislabeled fish for sure,” said Beth Lowell, the senior campaign director for Oceana and an author of the paper. “You’re getting ripped off, while you enjoyed your meal you’re paying a high price for a low fish.”
The biggest impostor, fittingly, was farmed Asian catfish, a fish with white flesh that is easily disguised when it’s filleted and drenched in sauce. It was sold in place of 18 types of more expensive fish, including perch, cod and grouper.
The report is a sort of meta-analysis of more than 200 studies from 55 countries. One of those studies found that in Italy, 82 per cent of the 200 perch, groupers and swordfish sampled were mislabeled. King mackerel, which is high in mercury, was sold as “barracuda” and “wahoo” in South Africa. In Hong Kong, only 1 out of 29 samples of “abalone” was correctly labelled. Two sushi chefs in Santa Monica in Southern California were charged with selling endangered whale meat as fatty tuna.
<iframe src="https://www.google.com/maps/d/embed?mid=1WX1NecAhINcVsPyLVYuh1hkY7DU" width="640" height="480"></iframe>
Using the various studies, the researchers created an interactive map that shows where they found cases of phoney fish. The studies include DNA analyses from peer-reviewed papers, newspaper investigations and about 10 of Oceana’s own studies. The report found examples of mislabeling at every level of the seafood supply chain, including the wholesaler, the importer and the retailer.
https://www.thestar.com/news/world/...-seafood-samples-are-frauds-report-finds.html
