Consumer Reports is following the trend of recent exposes on fish fraud. In a new investigation, the magazine uncovered that one in five pieces of fish for sale are mislabeled.
The findings complement a report by ocean coservation group, Oceana, which found a similar fraud rate in the Boston area, and in a separate Boston study, the Boston Globe found that almost half of tested fish samples were being sold under a false name.
Here’s what Consumer Reports discovered by doing DNA testing on fish samples from restaurants and grocery stores in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut:
•Out of 14 sampled fish species, only four were correctly identified every time
•18 percent of samples were incorrectly labeled
•None of the 22 samples they took of “red snapper” could be positively identified, and half were found to be other species of fish
•One “grouper” sample was actually tilefish, which is known to contain levels of mercury that could be dangerous, especially to pregnant women
•Coho salmon masqueraded as more expensive king salmon
Oceana is calling on the government to stop seafood fraud by enforcing current laws, inspecting more fish, and making sure agencies work together to stop dishonest businesses from ripping consumers off.
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