A subject near and dear, both in the interests of fairness and equity and to avoid, ahhhh, gastric distress.
From the Guardian:
Guardian analysis of 44 studies finds nearly 40% of 9,000 products from restaurants, markets and fishmongers were mislabelled
A Guardian Seascape analysis of 44 recent studies of more than 9,000 seafood samples from restaurants, fishmongers and supermarkets in more than 30 countries found that 36% were mislabelled, exposing seafood fraud on a vast global scale.
Many of the studies used relatively new DNA analysis techniques. In one comparison of sales of fish labelled “snapper” by fishmongers, supermarkets and restaurants in Canada, the US, the UK, Singapore, Australia and New Zealand, researchers found mislabelling in about 40% of fish tested. The UK and Canada had the highest rates of mislabelling in that study, at 55%, followed by the US at 38%.
Sometimes the fish were labelled as different species in the same family. In Germany, for example, 48% of tested samples purporting to be king scallops were in fact the less coveted Japanese scallop. Of 130 shark fillets bought from Italian fish markets and fishmongers, researchers found a 45% mislabelling rate, with cheaper and unpopular species of shark standing in for those most prized by Italian consumers.
Other substitutes were of endangered or vulnerable species. In one 2018 study, nearly 70% of samples from across the UK sold as snapper were a different fish, from an astounding 38 different species, including many reef‐dwelling species that are probably threatened by habitat degradation and overfishing.
Still other samples proved to be not entirely of aquatic species, with prawn balls sold in Singapore frequently found to contain pork and not a trace of prawn.Fish fraud has long been a known problem worldwide. Because seafood is among the most internationally traded food commodities, often through complex and opaque supply chains, it is highly vulnerable to mislabelling. Much of the global catch is transported from fishing boats to huge transshipment vessels for processing, where mislabelling is relatively easy and profitable to carry out.....
....MUCH MORE
HT: FT Alphaville's Further Reading post.
We have quite a few posts on phony, fake, and faux fish:
"Subway’s tuna is not tuna, but a ‘mixture of various concoctions,’ a lawsuit alleges"
"Kvarøy Arctic joins IBM Food Trust blockchain to track Norwegian farmed salmon"
"Blockchain Could Help Restaurants Make Sure the Seafood You Order Is Actually What Lands on Your Plate"
I vaguely recall this story from a couple years ago. Something about cats and preventing diarrhea or something. It seemed to be one of the few uses of blockchain tech that actually made sense.
Take a look at this from Futurism and I'll see if I can find a post with felines and gastric distress....
Which links to the two most memorable posts. The first was published around the time the FT's artist in residence program was experimenting with the kindergarten-primativist school:
September 6, 2016
All I Asked Was "Is the Red Snapper Good Here?"
Wary, yet curious, reader might be wondering "What are they going on about now?"
This:
...MUCH MORE
And this:
Additionally, there are other concerns.
One of the fish sometimes oftentimes, especially in sushi, mislabeled as tuna is escolar.
Be wary.
Seriously, be wary*
*From the Monterey Fish Market:
Gemplylotoxin
Members of the Gempoylidae, or snake mackerel family, contain indigestible waxy esters in their fatty tissues similar to those found in Olestra, and these esters have powerful laxative properties that affect people to varying degrees.Among the six 'Key findings' in the Executive Summary of the Oceana report:
Escolar and oilfish caught in the South Pacific and Gulf of Mexico are two such fish, and are quite delicious, popular menu items. Freezing and cooking won't inactivate gempylotoxins, so eating no more than 3-5 ounce servings or avoiding it is the only solution.
Symptoms of this illness are illusive, sudden, and without warning. You can be affected at any time or in the most inappropriate place, and the results can be quite embarrassing, not to mention unhygienic....
- 94 percent of the “white tuna” was not tuna at all, but escolar, a snake mackerel that has a toxin with purgative effects for people who eat more than a small amount of the fish.
