Store pulls mislabeled fish
Different species, including fresh water catfish from Vietnam and grenadier from the Pacific Ocean, are labeled and sold as hake in markets across Madrid, according to a DNA study commissioned by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists.
The analysis found that nearly one in 10 fish were mislabeled.
El Corte Inglés, Europe’s largest department store, undertook its own DNA analysis after ICIJ approached the company with its findings. A store spokesperson confirmed El Corte Inglés found mislabeled fish in a batch of more than 1 ton of hake and pulled those fish from its shelves. The official said they are in conversations with the fish provider and will take “drastic measures.”
Other major markets such as Alcampo (Auchan), Eroski and Carrefour as well as some local fishmongers in Madrid also sold mislabeled fish, according to the ICIJ study.
“Some of the revealed cases are really “cheeky” and shockingly blunt attempts to fool consumers,” said the European Commission’s top fisheries DNA expert Jann Th. Martinsohn, who reviewed ICIJ’s methodology and findings. “And worse, they are not unique.”
A study completed last year by scientists at the University of Oviedo – the same team that tested ICIJ's samples – found mislabeling in more than a third of the hake samples.
Mislabeling seafood is a global phenomenon. It boosts the bottom line of companies that pass off cheap fish as higher-quality fillets, and may even mask illegal fishing. There have been cases in countries including the U.S., South Africa, New Zealand and Ireland.
