Fishgate to follow Horsegate?
The BBC reports that we are all eating much more fish than formerly – but is it the fish we think it is?
The horsemeat scandal – still trotting on! – has demonstrated that what is bought is not always or 100% what has been described on the packaging. And the same, apparently, can apply to fish.
As with horsemeat, cheap fish can be substituted for more expensive fish, and new varieties of fish are also being used to substitute for more familiar species.
However, it’s worth noting that this too is not a health issue but rather a question of whether consumers are getting what they pay for.
Courtesy of Hospitality And Catering News
What’s the ‘fish’ in your ‘fish and chips’?
Scientific testing has revealed that traditional cod or haddock and chips may be substituted: research in the UK shows that up to 7% are in fact cheaper substitutes, supplied at lower cost.
In Ireland, research in Dublin showed that up to a quarter of products labelled as cod or haddock were different species. And – to show that it’s an international problem – a study also showed that a quarter of fish served in New York restaurants was not that described on the menu.
International supply chain
The reality is that large amounts of frozen fish are transported from all over the world, with China a major producer. Which explains why fish species that are not familiar in the UK may turn up on your plate!
Dr Stefano Mariani, a biologist at the University of Salford in the north of England which conducted one of the research studies, confirms that cod is being substituted with cheaper fish like pollock and Vietnamese pangasius, which is farmed in estuaries in South-East Asia.
It seems that cheap fish is being substituted for expensive on a major scale worldwide – the UK perhaps suffering less than many other countries.
The motive: maximising profit.
Realist
2ND APRIL 2013 – 8:53
Many chippies near me just list the fish on the menu as “fish”, when i have asked in the past most of the time it was Panga which is also known as river cobler, cat fish, vietnamese cat fish, rock fish. basa. This is sold widely in the supermarkets, but is you read up on it a bit you would never eat it.
Sustainability
Mislabelling of fish and seafood matters because it could also result in threatened species of fish being overfished, avoiding controls as well as deceiving consumers who may have chosen a particular species for reasons of conservation or health, as well as taste, and be happy to pay the higher price.
Tougher regulation on sources and labelling is required to ensure that the problem is effectively addressed.
For the full article click here