Senator urges FDA to increase its protection of seafood fraud

Posted: Wednesday, November 7, 2012 8:00 pm

U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer last month urged the Food and Drug Administration to “strengthen its enforcement efforts to address the alarmingly high occurrence of seafood fraud, where fish and other seafood is deliberately mislabeled.”
In a letter to FDA commissioner Dr. Margaret Hamburg, Senator Boxer cited a study by the non-profit Oceana that found 55 percent of seafood sold in L.A. area grocery stores, restaurants and supermarkets was falsely labeled. The Oceana study followed similar findings by a Boston Globe investigation of seafood in the Boston region.  Senator Boxer, a Member of the Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, said such “widespread” fraud was unacceptable, citing the very real hazards of unknowingly eating a species of fish other than the one purchased:
“Many consumers, particularly pregnant women and Americans with fish allergies, rely on the accurate labeling of seafood in order to make informed health decisions,” said Boxer.  “In 2007, several serious illnesses occurred after the toxic puffer fish were mislabeled as monkfish to get around U.S. import restrictions.” Published in The WCP 11.6.12