A Boston Globe investigation shows that restaurants and grocery stores frequently give consumers false names for the fish they sell, usually claiming the fish to be a more expensive variety than it actually is.
There is no reason to be believe that the story by reporters Beth Daley and Jenn Abelson is limited to the Boston area. The report blames the problem on lack of regulations.
“A Globe investigation detailed yesterday found that mislabeling of certain fish is endemic in the Boston area. DNA testing showed that 32 area restaurants that serve sushi – including Takara Sushi in Newton, Basho Japanese Brasserie in Boston, and Kowloon in Saugus – sold misnamed fish. For instance, tilapia stood in for red snapper, and farmed hybrid bass was identified as wild striped bass. Overall, the testing revealed that nearly half of 183 fish samples collected at restaurants and supermarkets were not the species ordered.”
Thanks to ConsumerWorld for pointing out the story in its weekly email today.
