Seafood Fraud Found in Boston-Area Supermarkets - Oceana

Report | July, 2012

Seafood Fraud Found in Boston-Area Supermarkets

 

As part of Oceana’s Seafood Fraud Campaign, Oceana tested seafood from Boston-area supermarkets to see if seafood fraud is occurring. 

Oceana targeted popular supermarket chains in the Boston metropolitan area. Fresh or frozen fish samples were purchased from the seafood departments of five stores in three chains in the early part of this year. Oceana staff attempted to purchase two discrete samples of three fish species at each store and obtained DNA identity results from 88 fish samples from a total of 92 that were collected.

The results of Oceana’s testing show that seafood fraud is taking place in Boston-area supermarkets. In total, 18 percent (16/88) of the species identified by DNA analysis were found to be mislabeled. The rate of mislabeling ranged from 14 to 23 percent for any given supermarket chain.