Mislabeled Seafood Continues To Be Widespread Across the U.S.

In a recent report from Food Safety News, a study conducted in Florida and California discovered that 31 percent of seafood collected near Miami and Fort Lauderdale, and 55 percent near Los Angeles and Orange County was mislabeled.

More specifically, researchers found that every fish sold under the label “snapper” was mislabeled with half being Pacific rockfish and the rest being a variety of fish such as Tilapia and Pollock. Additionally, 87 percent, of sushi samples collected were mislabeled, with grocery stores being the biggest offenders. Finally, eight out of nine sushi samples that were labeled as “white tuna” were actually escolar, a snake mackerel species.

These widespread fraudulent labeling practices could pose serious health risks for many, including pregnant women looking to decrease exposure to heavy metals and those with serious allergies to certain fish.

Currently, the U.S. imports 86 percent of its seafood sold to consumers.

“Mislabeling food results in health risks and hurts companies that are defrauded, and therefore it is imperative that individuals and companies know precisely what ingredients are in their food,” states Charles Li, Ph.D., Director of PCR and DNA Analysis at EMSL Analytical, Inc. “DNA testing has been used for seafood authentication widely.” “At EMSL Analytical, Inc., we use FDA recommended fish DNA barcode technology to help clients identify fish species and seafood,” he continues.

For more information on EMSL’s food testing services, please contact EMSL at (800) 220-3675, email  info@EMSL.com , or visit www.EMSL.com or www.FoodTestingLab.com.

About EMSL Analytical, Inc.
EMSL Analytical is a full service testing company providing quality lab services under the same private ownership since 1981. Including the corporate lab facility in Cinnaminson, NJ, EMSL Analytical operates over thirty laboratories nationwide in the US and Canada. We provide analytical services for environmental, indoor air quality (IAQ), industrial hygiene, forensics and materials science, consumer products, food safety, PCR, pharmaceutical, asbestos, lead, and radiological samples. The company has an extensive list of accreditations from leading organizations, as well as state and federal regulating bodies.

Contact Information

Joseph Frasca

Senior Vice President of Marketing

EMSL Analytical

(1) 1-800-220-3675

jfrasca@emsl.com