Published February 8, 2017

DNA check uncovers widespread fish fraud

Menu transparency is a hot trend in the foodservice industry, but some of the top sushi restaurants in Los Angeles haven’t gotten the hang of it just yet. DNA analysis performed on samples of 10 popular seafood species served there found nearly half 47 percent were mislabeled. Previous studies of seafood fraud have focused on less costly species. In a sense, one mild-tasting, firmly textured, white-fleshed fish species works roughly as well as another, bait-and-switch issues aside. For example, the study found that several overfished or threatened species of flounder were common substitutions for mislabeled halibut.

DNA check uncovers widespread fish fraud