FDA Sampling Finds Seafood Labeling Issues for Imported Snapper, Grouper
Importers and wholesale distributors of cod- and catfish-related fish are generally labeling it as the correct species, but labeling issues persist for grouper and snapper, according to the results of recent DNA testing by the Food and Drug Administration (here). Of the cod and haddock sampled by FDA, 100% passed inspection. The same went for catfish and swai in the U.S. distribution chain, said FDA. But 11% of grouper samples and 37% of snapper samples collected by FDA between April 2012 and September 2013 were mislabeled, said the agency.
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The DNA testing focused on fish already in the U.S. distribution chain, and to a “limited extent” on fish at the point of import. Most violations occurred from previously imported products using specific market or common names such as Scarlet Snapper, Pacific Snapper, Crimson Snapper, or Tai Snapper, said FDA. All samples originating from North and South America that were labeled as Red Snapper, Caribbean Red Snapper, and Yellowtail Snapper were correctly labeled, it said.
Some problems were related to labeling that is legal in certain jurisdictions, but not allowed by FDA for importation into the United States, said the agency. For example, labeling of rockfish or ocean perch as “pacific snapper” is allowed in California and Canada, but not for products imported or distributed in interstate commerce. Similarly, porgy or squirefish can be labeled as “tai snapper” or New Zealand” snapper in Australia and New Zealand, but not in the U.S., said FDA.