Source: BBC World News
Author: Stephen Evans
We are all eating much more fish than we used to – but are we eating the fish we think we are?
Official figures show that global consumption of fish and seafood per person is rising steeply – but research also reveals that much of what gets sold turns out to be not as described on the packet.
Fish and chips: much-loved, but do you know where the fish came from?Earlier this year Europe’s horsemeat scandal revealed how processed meat can get mislabelled in a complicated supply chain. That appears to be an issue with fish, too. On a large scale, cheap fish is being substituted for expensive fish without the consumer knowing. Moreover, new varieties, never before consumed, are being detected in fish dishes.
Take a British national dish, for example: fish and chips.Scientific testing reveals that the traditional cod or haddock and chips is often something else entirely. Research reveals that 7% of cod and haddock – the deep-fried staples of British fish and chips – actually turn out to be cheaper fish substituted to cut costs.
In the United States, a study showed that 25% of the fish served in restaurants in New York were not what they were said to be on the menu. And in Europe, about a quarter to a third of fish products tested turned out to be not what was described on the packet or menu.
Continue reading: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-21993684