What is that fish you're eating?

All men are equal before fish.
-Herbert Hoover

There are times when you may not care that fish you're eating like generic "white" fish or fish sticks. But other times you pay good money for mahi-mahi or wild salmon. How do you know you're getting the fish you pay for?

Researchers from the non-profit group Oceana applied the forensic science of DNA analysis to confirm that as much as half of all seafood sold in the U.S. is mislabeled. Scientists checked over a thousand fish samples across the country and found "disturbingly widespread" fraud.

"We can track organic bananas back to packing stations on farms in Central and Latin America, yet consumers are given little to no information about one of the most popular foods in the United States - seafood," said Dr. Michael Hirshfield, senior vice president for North America and chief scientist for Oceana"

The report found that while 84 percent of the seafood eaten in the United States is imported, only two percent is currently inspected for freshness and less than 0.001 percent specifically inspected for fraud.

Bottom Line

I recall a story of a man who complained that the bacon in his Cobb salad was fake. The waitress talked to the chef who replied, "If he wanted real bacon, he should have told us when he ordered".