Something’s fishy: 1 in 5 seafood products are mislabelled, study finds

One of each 5 pieces of seafood bought from a Calgary edifice oregon grocer was mislabelled astatine champion oregon an wholly antithetic taxon than what was claimed connected the packaging, a caller survey published Monday finds.

The latest survey successful what’s been a long-identified inclination crossed Canada has large implications for consumers’ wellness and wallets, arsenic good arsenic for the extortion of endangered species, 1 of the study’s authors tells Global News.

“There’s nary mode for you arsenic the user to person immoderate thought if what you bought is what you got erstwhile you’re buying sushi. And that’s conscionable the bittersweet world of it close now,” says Matthew Morris, subordinate prof of biology astatine Ambrose University successful Calgary.

The occupation is wider than your favourite all-you-can-eat sushi joint, according to the survey published Monday successful PeerJ’s biodiversity and conservation journal.

Students from Ambrose, which describes itself arsenic a backstage Christian wide arts university, worked with peers astatine Mount Royal University and the University of Calgary betwixt 2014 and 2020 to illustration a assortment of seafood astatine grocers and restaurants successful the metropolis and transverse notation their “DNA barcode” with what was connected the label.

The results recovered that astir 1 successful 5 products were mislabelled to the constituent wherever the incorrect taxon was substituted for what was sold. That includes some invertebrates specified arsenic shrimp, oysters and octopus arsenic good arsenic finfish similar cod oregon salmon.

Misidentification rates were somewhat higher, astir 1 successful three, erstwhile “semantic mislabelling” was included — a broader classification wherever an inaccurate statement was utilized connected thing similar “freshwater eel,” but consumers were apt inactive getting immoderate signifier of eel.

But Morris explains that the astir egregious instances are erstwhile a pupil purchased a chopped of Atlantic salmon, lone to find they had received rainbow trout that was manipulated to springiness its soma the aforesaid pinkish colour arsenic salmon.

“In a lawsuit similar that, you’ve been genuinely hoodwinked,” helium says.

For immoderate taxon of fish, Morris says the mislabelling is acold much widespread. In “virtually every” illustration of reddish snapper samples sold, the existent merchandise is typically tilapia, helium says. That’s due to the fact that reddish snapper is getting much uncommon successful the chaotic portion tilapia is cheaper and much easy farmed.

Getting a cheaper fillet than what you paid for is the extremity of the iceberg, Morris warns. If idiosyncratic is eating a portion of seafood they’re not expecting to beryllium precocious successful mercury, it tin person large implications for idiosyncratic who mightiness beryllium large and is expected to debar it successful their diet, helium says.

In 1 peculiarly worrisome lawsuit researchers came across, a taxon of tuna sold astatine a sushi edifice was successful information escolar, a food that produces a signifier of fatty acerb linked to gastrointestinal distress that has landed it the dubious favoritism arsenic the “laxative of the sea.”

“Some radical person landed successful the infirmary due to the fact that they’ve eaten excessively overmuch of this peculiar product,” Morris says. “So astatine an all-you-can-eat-sushi bar, that’s not the happening that you privation to beryllium encountering.”

The different concerns are mostly conservational successful nature, peculiarly if a chopped is sold arsenic a thriving subordinate of the marine ecosystem but is successful information a protected species.

Morris says landlocked Calgary was 1 of the fewer large markets not yet studied for mislabelling, but helium suspects the team’s estimates are “conservative.” Previous studies person shown adjacent higher rates of misidentification, helium notes.

A 2017 survey from advocacy radical Oceana Canada recovered that astir fractional (46 per cent) of the seafood sampled from Ottawa vendors was mislabelled; a follow-up survey the adjacent year covering 5 Canadian cities recovered akin rates (44 per cent) of misidentification. A 2021 Oceana Canada survey looking astatine Montreal recovered labels were incorrect 60 per cent of the time.

But it’s not conscionable a Canadian problem, with akin rates of misidentification seen successful the United States and globally. Researchers in Hawaii had akin findings to Calgary’s, with 1 successful 5 products successful a 2020 survey recovered to beryllium mislabelled.

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Morris says the United Nations has led initiatives to amended regulations astir traceability successful caller years, implementing a tracking strategy that tin spot immoderate consumers scan a QR codification connected their packaging to spot wherever a peculiar food was caught and larn much accusation that way.

The Calgary researchers don’t person information during the depths of the pandemic and its aftermath, truthful they accidental much survey is needed to spot if labelling practices person improved successful caller years.

Canadian rules bash mention traceability successful their requirements, but Morris feels that asking suppliers to support amended records does not spell arsenic acold arsenic electronically tagging and tracking the way of food from the h2o to the table.

“For the wide consumer, erstwhile you spell to the market store to bargain a seafood product, you person nary mode of knowing if that merchandise is what you deliberation it is,” Morris says.

That said, determination are a fewer tips Morris has to place whether “what you bought is what you got.”

For one, helium recommends buying “head-on” food — seeing the afloat package, successful different words, tin assistance to trim instances of buying the incorrect seafood.

Checking the bundle for certification by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) means the merchandise was harvested sustainability and is besides “far little apt to beryllium mislabelled,” Morris says.

At a restaurant, Morris says it’s hard to spot what bundle a food comes retired of earlier it’s cooked and plated, adjacent with immoderate sushi oregon hibachi restaurants wherever meals are prepared successful nonstop enactment of sight.

But arsenic a wide rule, helium besides recommends not buying food with precise generalized labels similar “tuna,” “salmon,” oregon “fish and chips.” A circumstantial statement similar Atlantic oregon sockeye salmon is much apt to adhere to the species, helium says.

“You would ne'er spell to the market store and bargain a vertebrate crockery oregon a mammal sandwich. So don’t acquisition thing with a vague label,” helium says.

— with files from Global News’ Anne Gaviola