In partnership with SeaChoice, Dr. Robert Hanner, and Organic Ocean, I’m going behind the scenes and into the lab to find solutions to address seafood mislabelling in Canada.
Key Terms for Understanding Seafood Mislabelling
Before we go any further, let’s make sure that we’re all on the same page by defining some key terms related to seafood fraud and mislabelling.
Seafood Mislabelling - Seafood is considered mislabelled if the information listed about the product is incorrect. This could include the use of a common name that is not an allowable common name for that species under Canadian seafood labelling guidelines, a product marketed as wild caught when in fact it was farmed, or the misrepresentation of the geographical origin of the product or method of production (e.g. a product sold as “Alaskan sockeye salmon” that was actually caught in Russian waters or tuna that is labelled as “pole-and-line caught” when it was actually caught by purse seine). Mislabelling may also refer to the form of the fish, such as when previously frozen fish is labelled as “fresh”.
Seafood Fraud - While often used interchangeably, seafood fraud is a subset of mislabelling and refers to purposeful mislabelling with the intention to mislead or deceive, usually for financial gain. This typically occurs when a lower-valued species is mislabelled as a higher-value species. Since we rarely know when or why mislabelling occurs, intention is very difficult to prove.
Traceability - Traceability refers to the ability to track information about a product through the supply chain, from harvest to sale. Seafood traceability systems should provide at least the species name, country or area where it was harvested or farmed, and the production system (fishing gear type or farming method).
Seafood Mislabelling in Canada
Now that we’re all speaking the same language, let’s talk about seafood mislabelling in Canada.
Approximately 30% of seafood products around the world are mislabelled. A 2018 study by OCEANA, revealed that Canada is one of the leading culprits of seafood mislabelling: its study suggested up to 44% of seafood sold in Canada might be mislabelled. Other DNA studies such as those conducted by SeaChoice in 2018 and 2019 on products solely from supermarkets identified found much lower rates of mislabelling rates of 7-9%.
In these Canadian studies, a seafood product was considered to be mislabelled if the common name on the package was not an allowable name for that species (as identified through DNA authentication) according to the guidance in the Canadian Food Inspection Agency’s Fish List.
Why Does Mislabelling Occur?
Now that we know what mislabelling is, let’s talk about why it happens. There are a handful of different reasons that mislabelling can occur at various stages of the seafood supply chain. We already spoke about fraud above, where seafood is intentionally mislabelled for economic gain. However, mislabelling can also occur inadvertently due to the seafood industry’s convoluted supply chains and processing which often eliminates any identifying features from a fish.
It’s often difficult, even for those with expertise, to tell the difference between species after they’ve been processed. Once identifying features like skin, fins and head have been removed, a seafood product is whittled down to just a pink or white piece of flesh.
For example, can you tell the difference between these two fillets?
Mislabelling Impacts
Mislabelling impacts everyone, from consumers to seafood suppliers and other fishermen.
How consumers are affected by mislabelling
As a consumer you may pay a premium price at the seafood counter for what you believe to be a premium product. But what if that expensive product is not the high quality fish that you thought it was, but rather a lower-valued species that has been mislabelled?
There’s no reason that you should be overpaying for seafood products that are being misrepresented in the marketplace. Proper labelling and traceability will help to ensure that what you’re paying for is actually what you’re getting.
Mislabelling can also create health risks for consumers. Potential health issues that may result from seafood mislabelling include tetrodotoxin poisoning from puffer fish and gastrointestinal distress from escolar, a fish that is often labelled as white tuna.
While gastrointestinal distress may not pose a significant health risk per say, it’s an uncomfortable experience that no consumer should have to go through because of misrepresentation in the marketplace. Imagine accidently cooking escolar instead of tuna for a dinner party? That not only makes for a horrible night, but it seriously undermines consumer confidence in food safety and seafood supply chains.
How sustainability efforts are impacted by mislabelling
Mislabelling also has significant environmental consequences including compromising sustainable fisheries and undermining conservation efforts by hiding overexploitation by substituting a depleted species with a less exploited species that can go by the same name. Sustainable fisheries and marine conservation rely upon the accurate representation of the species that are being harvested. Mislabelling may result in vulnerable species being inaccurately identified as from healthy and sustainable stocks and can also mislead public perception to believe that a certain species or stock is sustainable, when it’s not.
Seafood mislabelling also enables seafood harvested in illegal, unreported or unregulated (IUU) fisheries to make it to the market unchecked. Without being confident in their seafood products, consumers also have no way of knowing if the species they’re consuming is from a sustainable, or even a legal, fishery.
How honest fishermen and seafood businesses are impacted by mislabelling
When low-quality seafood that's mislabelled as a higher quality product has a lower price than properly labelled products, mislabelling undercuts honest fishermen and seafood businesses who play by the rules. It’s impossible for a truthfully labelled high-quality seafood product to compete with a mislabelled one, especially when consumers can’t tell the difference. The result is an unfair marketplace where honest fishermen can’t make a fair living because they’re competing with products that are playing outside the rules.
Fraud and mislabelling undermines sustainability efforts at every stage of the supply chain.
What Can Consumers Do?
When you’re buying seafood, ask what it is and where it comes from. If you can, ask what traceability tools that business has in place to verify the species, origin and method of production.
And of course, follow along and support our seafood mislabelling project to learn more about seafood mislabelling in Canada and potential solutions to improving traceability. This project is the first step towards a more transparent and traceable seafood industry in Canada.
Improving labelling regulations and standards will provide consumers with the information they require to purchase healthy, sustainable and socially responsible seafood.
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