Identifying and Preventing Seafood Fraud

March 15, 2013 - PRLog -- Seafood products are under heavy scrutiny following the discovery of contamination in supply chains and products being fraudulently mislabeled.

Seafood Fraud Report

A recent study by Oceana revealed that 33% of 1,215 samples analyzed in the United States of America were mislabeled. Incorrect labeling poses a risk to human health. Swapping one species for another opens the door to potentially harmful toxins being consumed and making people ill.

“There is no excuse for contaminated seafood in the supply chain; species identification can be conducted at any stage of production,” said Rob Parrish, Vice President Global Food SGS. “This scandal clearly demonstrates the importance, to both the industry and consumers, of ensuring that the species a company orders, and pays for, is the species a company receives. For consumer safety it is particularly important in seafood.”

Oceana reported that they found seafood fraud everywhere they tested. Oceana’s study (http://oceana.org/en/blog/2013/02/oceana-ceo-a-shocking-report-on-your-seafood) targeted fish with regional significance as well as those found to be frequently mislabeled in previous studies such as red snapper, cod, tuna and wild salmon. Of the most commonly collected types of fish, snapper and tuna had the highest mislabeling rates across the country at 87 and 59 percent, respectively. While 44 percent of all the retail outlets visited sold mislabeled fish, sushi venues had the worst level of mislabeling at 74 percent, followed by other restaurants at 38 percent and then grocery stores at 18 percent.

Detection and Prevention

The SGS network of laboratories and capabilities are structured to optimize cross-lab synergies, to create specialized competence centers, to share best practices and to develop new testing methods for client and network benefit. SGS has a broad range of technologies for species identification services including:  

·         - Fish species identification based on the recommended method by USA FDA

·         - Qualitative and quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR)

·         - Enzyme-linked Immuno Sorbent Assay (ELISA)

Furthermore, the SGS global network of laboratories offers a comprehensive range of seafood contaminant testing (http://www.sgs.com/en/Agriculture-Food/Food/Primary-Production/Testing-and-Analytical-Services/Food-Contaminant-Testing.aspx) across six continents:

1)     Heavy Metals

2)     Histamine

3)     Pathogen detection and hygiene monitoring

4)     Veterinary drug residues, including:

·         Fluoroquinolones

·         Malachite green, Crystal (Gentian) violet, Brilliant green

·         Nitrofuran metabolites

·         Chloramphenical

5) Viruses

6) Water Retention Agents

In a global market place all services are tailored to meet the regulatory requirements of a product’s destination market.

“Even before this report, demand for species identification on food products has been increasing in the last year,” said Parrish. “To help clients deliver high quality safe products, that are correctly labeled, SGS is completing the planned expansion of its global capabilities, creating competence centers in Asia, Europe and the Americas.”

The Oceana report exposed inadequacies in the detection and prevention of seafood fraud. Potentially damaging to the seafood industry, fraud:

- Threatens human health.
- Creates a market for illegal fishing.
- Makes it difficult for consumers to make eco-friendly choices.
- Misleads consumers about the true availability of seafood and the state of the marine environment.

Species identification (http://www.sgs.com/en/Agriculture-Food/Food/Primary-Production/Testing-and-Analytical-Services/Species-Identification.aspx) can identify fraud and prevent illegal and/or sub-standard products reaching the market. In addition, species identification of fishmeal used in aquaculture ensures that fishmeal does not contain meal originating from the same species as the fish being fed.  

Water Retention Agents

Moreover, this Oceana report follows a number of seafood industry reports of fraud. One of the most common instances of seafood fraud relates to short weighting or “glazing” which involves adding water and water retention agents to seafood to increase the size and weight of seafood products. This practice causes economic harm to both industry players and the final consumer. Accurate detection of water retention agents in seafood products helps identify fraudulent suppliers.

Finally a reliable system of supply chain monitoring is needed to protect your companies’ brand.  

Should you require more information on the detection of seafood fraud, please contact:

SGS Consumer Testing Services

James Cook

Food Safety Technologist

291 Fairfield Ave, Fairfield

New Jersey 07004, USA

t +1 973 461 1493

Email: cts.media@sgs.com

Website: http://www.sgs.com/en/Consumer-Goods-Retail/Food.aspx

SGS is the world’s leading inspection, verification, testing and certification company. SGS is recognized as the global benchmark for quality and integrity. With more than 75 000 employees, SGS operates a network of over 1 500 offices and laboratories around the world.