Canada continues to lag behind other countries in combating seafood fraud
The findings of Oceana Canada's newest seafood fraud investigation, published on August 4th as part of the most extensive, nationwide, multi-year DNA testing research in Canada, show that 46% of seafood samples examined in restaurants and grocery shops in four major Canadian cities were mislabeled. These findings show that Canada has a widespread and uncontrolled seafood fraud issue, putting Canadians, honest fishermen, ocean ecosystems, and our seafood industry at danger.
Given considerable public concern and a lack of progress by the government in creating a seafood traceability system, Oceana Canada returned to some of the cities where it had previously tasted fish. In Halifax, Montreal, Ottawa, and Toronto, 46% of the samples were mislabeled (43 out of 94). This is only one percentage point lower than the 47 percent mislabeling rate discovered among 472 samples evaluated by Oceana Canada between 2017 and 2019, and it is comparable with previous Canadian and global research.
Moreover, Canadians strongly favor seafood traceability and want the government to act, according to new market research released the same day by Abacus Data for Oceana Canada. Eighty-seven percent are concerned about purchasing mislabeled seafood, up from 76% in 2020, and 86% are concerned about the government's inability to handle seafood mislabeling and illegal fishing in Canada. In 2019, the Canadian government has said that it would establish a boat-to-plate seafood traceability system. However, no strategy or timetable has been presented. Until this occurs, Canadians will have no way of knowing if the fish they consume is safe, legal, or accurately labeled. Oceana Canada is urging the government to follow through on its promise by creating a solution that is obligatory, comprehensive, aligns with our trade partners, and adheres to international best practices.
Sources:
https://oceana.ca/sites/default/files/oceana_canada_seafood_fraud_report_2021_en.pdf
https://oceana.ca/sites/default/files/oceana_canada_abacus_data_seafood_fraud-_april_2021.pdf
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