Seafood
mislabelling persistent throughout supply chain, study finds
University of Guelph
Not only does Canada
continue to have a problem with fish mislabelling, but that problem persists
throughout the supply chain, according to a first-ever study by University of
Guelph researchers.In a new study, U of G researchers found 32 per cent of fish were mislabelled and the number of incorrectly identified samples became compounded as the samples moved through the food system.
"We've been doing seafood fraud studies for a decade," said Prof. Robert Hanner, lead author and associate director for the Canadian Barcode of Life Network. "We know there are problems. But this is the first study to move beyond that and look at where the problems are happening throughout the food supply chain."
The findings reveal
that mislabelling happens before fish are imported into Canada, as well as
throughout the supply chain, Hanner added.
"It seems it's not isolated to foreign markets, but it's also happening at home. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has partnered with us to actively find solutions to this persistent problem," said Hanner.
Published recently in
the journal Food Research International, the study was conducted in
collaboration with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA).
Hanner is the
associate Director for the Canadian Barcode of Life Network, headquartered at
the Biodiversity Institute of Ontario, University of Guelph.
"As a
science-based regulator, the CFIA works with an array of partners to address
mislabelling and promote compliance within industry," said the CFIA's
Deputy Chief Food Safety Office, Dr. Aline Dimitri. "It is only through
our collective efforts that we will be able to tackle this global issue."
U of G researchers
examined 203 samples from 12 key targeted species collected from various
importers, processing plants and retailers in Ontario. Of the samples, 141
(69.5 per cent) were from retailers, 51 (25 per cent) from importers and 11
(5.5 per cent) from processing plants.
Researchers identified
the samples using DNA barcoding. Developed at U of G, DNA barcoding allows
scientists to determine species of organisms using a short, standardized region
of genetic material.
The findings revealed
32 per cent of the samples overall were mislabelled. The mislabelling rate was
17.6 per cent at the import stage, 27.3 per cent at processing plants and 38.1
per cent at retailers.
"The higher mislabelling rate in samples collected from retailers, compared to that for samples collected from importers, indicates the role of distribution and repackaging in seafood mislabelling," said Hanner.
He points to a few
reasons for the problem.
"It's either
economically motivated, meaning cheaper fish are being purposely mislabelled as
more expensive fish. Or it's inconsistent labelling regulations between
countries and the use of broader common names being used to label fish instead
of scientific species names that are leading to mislabelling."
In both Canada and the
U.S., fish are labelled using a common name rather than a specific scientific
name. For example, a variety of species may be sold as tuna, although different
species can significantly vary in price.
"It creates
ambiguity and opens the door for fraud or honest mistakes," he said.
"It also makes it more difficult to track species at risk or indicate if a
fish is a species that has higher mercury content. At the end of the day,
Canadian consumers don't really know what type of fish they are eating."
European countries
that recently included species names along with common names have seen less
fraud, he added.
That might help curb
the problem with fish imports, Hanner said, but this new study shows a need for
verification testing at multiple points along the supply chain.
"The next step
would be to follow one package from import to wholesale to retail and see what
happens."