Fish Mislabeling Rampant In Stores and Restaurants

Thought that sole you just ordered was, well, actually sole? How about that snapper you just got on sale at the supermarket? You might want to think again: according to two new reports — one by the Boston Globe and the other by Consumer Reports — a surprising level of fish mislabeling occurs in both restaurants and supermarkets.

Even though fish mislabeling has been documented before, these two recent reports underscore how rampant the practice is. The Boston Globe tested the DNA of 183 orders of fish at various outlets in the Boston area and found that a higher percentage were mislabeled (48%) than were correct (46%), with a small fraction having inconclusive results. Some of the substitutions were particularly egregious: “All 23 white tuna samples tested as some other type of fish, usually escolar, which is nicknamed the ex-lax fish by some in the industry because of the digestion problems it can cause.” That’s pretty gross.

Consumer Reports used a pretty similar methodology in their test — comparing the DNA of 190 fish orders in the New York-New Jersey-Connecticut area. Unlike the Globe report, which focused on ordering fish that often gets mislabeled, CR did a more random test, looking at all kinds of fish. Their outcomes, though, were no more promising: more than 20% of the fish they looked at were mislabeled, with only four species always labeled correctly. In this case, the most mislabeled fish were sole and red snapper, which are easily confused with other types of fish.

There are several reasons why this is a huge problem for consumers (besides the most obvious “ex-lax” related issue). Some fish species that are notoriously high in mercury were substituted for low mercury species — a huge potential health problem for pregnant mothers or others sensitivity to mercury. For consumers who are interested in living sustainably, mislabeling poses a similar problem. Economically, this means that consumers are losing money whenever they buy a cheaper fish for the expensive price. Finally, for people with seafood allergies or religious dietary restrictions, replacing one fish for another poses obvious problems.

All of this comes down to the fact that there’s just not enough resources focused on oversight. As CR points out, “state officials told us that their inspectors aren’t trained to differentiate among fish species and that they focus their limited resources on food safety.” With outbreaks of salmonella, e. coli and listeria to worry about, as long as the food is not literally poisonous, the regulators just cannot keep up. At the same time, though, Americans deserve to know where their food comes from — and what that food is. Until the government takes some responsibility for enforcing its own regulations, the best that health and environmentally conscious consumers can do is purchase fish only from those outlets that are 100% sustainable and traceable.

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Read more: fish, food regulation, mercury, mislabeled fish, tuna

Photo from malias via flickr.

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Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

Bill K.

7:00AM PST on Dec 8, 2011

don't eat fish, whatever the name.

send a green star

Ruth R.

11:08PM PST on Nov 10, 2011

Thanks for the info.

Kimberlee W.

12:33PM PST on Nov 10, 2011

Ron L. - For the record, I read from many sources and my TV viewing is generally sourced to Independent stations as well as mainstream. I also garner information from investigative reports and industry lit. That said, I'm sure there are quite a few fishing concerns and even fish farming concerns (one in Cape Cod that rotates area interests me quite a bit; I miss Atlantic cod!) that are entirely honest and DO strive to provide a clean & healthy product.
HOWEVER - We all know now that the FDA has been bought and infiltrated by large, corporate concerns to serve their agenda. Many independent inspectors are guilty of graft and "pay-to-play" policies. Large fishing concerns can have a single analysis that is "grandfathered" for the entire catch. We also have an inefficient supply of inspectors to check all that comes into this country.
Swordfish shouldn't even be on menus anymore as it takes till the fish is 12' long till it is able to breed and billed fish are becoming an endangered species.
And as I stated earlier, the article is about HONESTY on the part of the dealers, the middle-men who I believe LIE as a regular part of their job.
My husband went to Asia and saw sewage NOT treated, just thrown out to sea where they farm their fish. I REFUSE to eat Asian seafood, PERIOD!

Heather N.

10:13AM PST on Nov 9, 2011

I'm not a fan of seafood myself, but this is despicable! They'll have to start giving out University Degrees for people to work in a Fish and Chip shop! Why are humans so stupid?!

TRACY G.

4:34PM PST on Nov 8, 2011

I only eat fish I spear or catch with a pole!

LAV M.

10:02AM PST on Nov 8, 2011

I once ordered breaded shrimp in a restaurant and was given... breaded sarimi pieces.

Sue M.

8:05AM PST on Nov 8, 2011

thanks.

angela w.

5:30AM PST on Nov 8, 2011

resturants are really bad about it because they can make more money with cheaper fish

6:43AM PST on Nov 7, 2011

as fish species disappear due to demand and the fishing industry turns to once undesirable species they are also changing the names of the entire species so they sell better. for instance orange roughy was once known by the less appetizing name of slimehead.