Meat, poultry and seafood
d u a r f h s Fi
runs rampant on South African menus A recent article in National Geographic found that seafood fraud, ie. the mislabelling of seafood, is very common in the US. Full Service found out from WWF_ SASSI how prevalent seafood fraud is in South Africa. We unravel what restaurant owners and chefs can do to ensure they are buying and serving up the right seafood or giving consumers the right information about the fruits de mer they’re eating.
T
HE REPORT WHICH was compiled by marine conservation non-profit Oceana, found that 20 percent of the 449 fish they tested were incorrectly labelled. Sea bass and snapper were the most commonly mislabelled species. The report highlighted fish ordered in restaurants were more likely to be mislabelled than fish bought at markets or grocery stores. Mislabelling also occurred when cheaper, imported fish were sold as local catch and when farm-raised fish were marketed as wild caught.
MISLABELLING IN SOUTH AFRICA
COMMONLY MISLABELLED SEAFOOD What you bought
What you got
Salmon
Rainbow trout
Cod or Hake
Pangasius (Asian ‘catfish’)
Chilean sea bass
Antarctic toothfish
Lemon sole
Flounder
*Source: Oceana
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March 2019 | Full Serv ce
While the report only sampled fish in the US, according to WWF_SASSI it is estimated that globally about 30 percent of seafood sold to the public in restaurants or retailers is mislabelled or misrepresented (Agnew et al. 2009). A local study conducted by the University of Stellenbosch found that 18 percent of seafood samples in South Africa were incorrectly described in terms of species. This is a marginal improvement on the global study but it is still evident there is a need for greater transparency in the market. A common example which illustrates possible misunderstandings and confusion is when a multitude of different species is referred to by one common name, or when many common names are used for one species. Often restaurants in SA call their linefish ‘Seabass’, however this is not a particular type of fish but rather a species grouping.
Salmon Trout is a name created by merging two different species – Atlantic salmon and rainbow trout. Yet the fish being served in restaurants is in fact probably rainbow trout. WWF_SASSI says it sees this often in sushi restaurants and sometimes with retailers. There is a perception that salmon is more desirable hence the mislabelling. Haddock is smoked hake in South Africa while it is a different species in other countries. Prawns could be one of many species, from various regions and fished or farmed using various methods. Additionally, prawns can be labelled according to their size for example: queen, king, etc. The consumer could easily confuse different prawn sizes for different prawn species, which may not necessarily be the case.
ASK THE RIGHT QUESTIONS WWF_SASSI stresses the importance of the entire seafood supply chain working towards adequate labelling on their products. Likewise, the onus is on the culinary industry such as chefs, restaurateurs and procurement staff to ask the right questions when purchasing seafood and to seek assistance when uncertain so that they label seafood correctly on menus. This will enable consumers to effectively use the WWF_ SASSI tools to make informed choices about the products they are purchasing. When consumers ask questions about seafood on a menu, the restaurant should be adequately equipped to respond accordingly. Restaurant engagement with seafood suppliers is integral to catalyse
