Report: More than one-fifth of seafood mislabeled
March 11, 2015
Research shows many seafood packages are mislabeled
A Consumer Reports investigation reveals that more than one-fifth of 190 pieces of seafood bought at retail stores and restaurants in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut were not what they claimed to be—either mislabeled as different species of fish, incompletely labeled, or misidentified by employees. The report can be found in the December 2011 issue of the magazine and online here.
Consumer Reports sent the fresh and frozen fish samples to an outside lab for DNA testing. Researchers extracted genetic material from each sample and compared the genetic sequences against standardized gene fragments that identify its species in much the same way that criminal investigators use genetic fingerprinting. Among the findings:
Only four of the 14 types of fish bought--Chilean sea bass, coho salmon, and bluefin and ahi tuna--were always identified correctly.
Eighteen percent of the samples didn't match the names on placards, labels, or menus. Fish were incorrectly passed off as catfish, grey sole, grouper, halibut, king salmon, lemon sole, red snapper, sockeye salmon, and yellowfin tuna. Four percent were incompletely labeled or misidentified by employees.
All 10 of the "lemon soles" and 12 of the 22 "red snappers" weren't the claimed species.