Seafood mislabeling persists throughout Canadian supply chain
Not only does Canada continue to have a problem with fish mislabeling, but that problem persists throughout the supply chain, according to a study by University of Guelph (U of G) researchers.
Not only does Canada continue to have a problem with fish mislabeling, but that problem persists throughout the supply chain, according to a study by University of Guelph (U of G) researchers. In a new study, U of G researchers found 32% of fish were mislabeled 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 mislabeling 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). 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%) were from retailers, 51 (25%) from importers and 11 (5.5%) 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% of the samples overall were mislabeled. The mislabeling rate was 17.6% at the import stage, 27.3% at processing plants and 38.1% at retailers. “The higher mislabeling rate in samples collected from retailers, compared to that for samples collected from importers, indicates the role of distribution and repackaging in seafood mislabeling,” said Hanner. “It’s either economically motivated, meaning cheaper fish are being purposely mislabeled 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 mislabeling.”