The latest instalment in a series of investigations into Canada’s seafood has revealed more evidence of mislabelled products.
Oceana Canada, a nonprofit, conducted DNA testing of a small number of items at various retailers in Montreal.
They found that 61% of the 90 seafood products tested in the city were mislabelled.
Previous investigations have found that:
67% of 15 samples tested in Victoria were mislabelled
26% of 84 samples tested in Vancouver were mislabelled
59% of 96 samples in Toronto were mislabelled
46% of 98 samples in Ottawa were mislabelled
38% of 89 samples in Halifax were mislabelled
Among Oceana’s findings in the Montreal survey were “sea bass” that was actually albacore tuna, “red snapper” that was actually tilapia and “white tuna” that was actually snake mackerel.
“We have found farmed fish served up as wild caught, cheaper species substituted for more expensive ones and fish banned in many countries because of health risks masquerading as another species,” said Josh Laughren, executive director at Oceana Canada.
“We’ve also uncovered rampant problems with Canada’s seafood traceability and labelling standards. Canadians deserve to know that their seafood is safe, honestly labelled and legally caught.”
He added: “The good news is that there is a solution: implementing boat-to-plate traceability and comprehensive labelling in Canadian seafood supply chains.”
