Salmon is the most commonly consumed finfish in the United States of America (USA), and the mislabeling of salmon is a widespread problem

Study - Salmon Fraud in Washington: Your Sushi May Not Be What You Think

UNITED STATES
Monday, November 11, 2024, 00:10 (GMT + 9)

A recent study has found that salmon products sold in Washington are often mislabeled as wild when they are, in fact, farmed—leading to inflated costs for consumers, particularly at sushi restaurants, reports Bill Kaczaraba of MyNorthwest.

Seafood mislabeling has been a recognized problem for years, prompting Washington state to pass a law in 2013 aimed at curbing fish fraud. Tracie Delgado, a biology professor at Seattle Pacific University, recently set out to examine whether this legislation has effectively reduced mislabeling.

“Wild salmon is more expensive,” Delgado told MyNorthwest. “Our cost analysis comparing wild and farmed salmon prices showed that farmed salmon is consistently cheaper. When a sushi restaurant mislabeled salmon as wild, it was always at a cost to the customer. So, diners consistently lost money, whereas grocery stores showed mixed results.”

Delgado also noted that some consumers deliberately avoid farmed salmon for ethical or environmental reasons.

“Despite Washington state’s legislation prohibiting salmon mislabeling, fraud remains a problem in Seattle,” Delgado said.

To investigate, Delgado and her students analyzed the DNA of salmon samples from 67 grocery stores and 52 sushi restaurants in Seattle between fall 2022 and fall 2023. They discovered that 18% of these samples were mislabeled, and their findings were published in the journal PLOS-One.

Mislabeling was notably higher in restaurants than in grocery stores. Roughly a third of the restaurant samples were falsely labeled as wild, while none of the grocery store samples showed this type of mislabeling. However, some sushi samples labeled as one species of wild salmon were actually a different species—an issue also found in grocery stores. The combined mislabeling rate was 38% in restaurants compared to 11% in stores.

Fishy business in Seattle: Salmon mislabeling fraud in sushi restaurants vs grocery stores. Source: Jewel L. GarciaYennifer A. Gaspar... Tracie Delgado

On a positive note, no instances of farmed salmon labeled as wild were found in grocery stores, suggesting that Washington’s seafood labeling laws may have had some impact.

However, the overall rate of salmon mislabeling in this study is consistent with pre-2013 levels, and some states report even higher rates. At sushi restaurants, mislabeling likely shifts costs to customers, who may unknowingly pay premium prices for what they believe is wild salmon. This effect was not seen as strongly in grocery stores.

Fishy business in Seattle: Salmon mislabeling fraud in sushi restaurants vs grocery stores. Source: Jewel L. GarciaYennifer A. Gaspar... Tracie Delgado

Salmon mislabeling also poses environmental challenges

“Dishonest catch reporting and seafood mislabeling disrupt conservation efforts, as they hinder accurate tracking in the supply chain and make sustainable fishery management more difficult,” Delgado said. “As a result, fisheries managers may mistakenly conclude that wild salmon stocks—which may be depleted—are still at sustainable levels.”

To reduce seafood fraud, the researchers recommend that restaurants periodically test their fish. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) offers a voluntary inspection program for fishing boats, processing plants, and retailers. In the meantime, sushi customers can also take steps to reduce the risk of being misled.

“Consumers should care about this because it affects their wallet. If you’re paying for wild salmon but receiving farmed, you’re not getting what you paid for,” Delgado said. “Customers can also ask sushi restaurants if they purchase whole salmon and fillet it on-site. If the salmon is freshly filleted at the restaurant, skilled sushi chefs should be able to distinguish between wild and farmed salmon by its appearance.”

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