Consumers ‘codded’ over fish labels

A UCD study published by the Ecological Society of America, shows that across Ireland, more expensive haddock and cod are being replaced by cheaper varieties

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Brand Central

One in four cod or haddock sold in Ireland is not the real thing, a new study carried out by University College Dublin (UCD) scientists has revealed.

Across Irish chip shops, fishmongers, and supermarkets, scientists found 25% of cod or haddock, was actually from a different species altogether. Meanwhile the frequency of mislabelling rose to 82% for smoked fish.

The study, which was published by the Ecological Society of America, showed that more expensive haddock and cod were being replaced by cheaper varieties such as coley, pollack, argentine and other fish.

Dr Stefano Mariani from the UCD School of Biology carried out DNA tests on frozen and fresh fish purchased at a range of Irish retailers.

Examining both loose and packaged fish, he found that 39 out of 156 products were mislabelled as the wrong species.
Dr Mariani said that as well as misleading consumers, sustained mislabelling could set-back the recovery of depleted fish stocks.

"The high level of cod mislabelling found in Ireland gives a false perception of market availability, allowing consumers to believe that because cod is so widely available, the stocks must be healthy," he said.

He recommended that one national agency be given responsibility for enforcing seafood labelling and traceability in Ireland, instead of the three different agencies currently involved.

However, it proved impossible for scientists to determine at which stage the mislabelling occurred, from the fish being caught, through processing and then to retailers.

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