Seafood label quality and mislabelling rates hamper consumer choices for sustainability in Australia
Abstract Seafood mislabelling and species substitution, compounded by a convoluted seafood supply chain with significant traceability challenges, hinder efforts towards more sustainable, responsible, and ethical fishing and business practices. We conducted the largest evaluation of the quality and a...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2023-08-01
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| Series: | Scientific Reports |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-37066-4 |
| _version_ | 1797752776935079936 |
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| author | Megan E. Cundy Julia Santana-Garcon Alexander G. McLennan Marcelle E. Ayad Philipp E. Bayer Madalyn Cooper Shannon Corrigan Emily Harrison Chris Wilcox |
| author_facet | Megan E. Cundy Julia Santana-Garcon Alexander G. McLennan Marcelle E. Ayad Philipp E. Bayer Madalyn Cooper Shannon Corrigan Emily Harrison Chris Wilcox |
| author_sort | Megan E. Cundy |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Seafood mislabelling and species substitution, compounded by a convoluted seafood supply chain with significant traceability challenges, hinder efforts towards more sustainable, responsible, and ethical fishing and business practices. We conducted the largest evaluation of the quality and accuracy of labels for 672 seafood products sold in Australia, assessing six seafood groups (i.e., hoki, prawns, sharks and rays, snapper, squid and cuttlefish, and tuna) from fishmongers, restaurants, and supermarkets, including domestically caught and imported products. DNA barcoding revealed 11.8% of seafood tested did not match their label with sharks and rays, and snappers, having the highest mislabelling rate. Moreover, only 25.5% of products were labelled at a species-level, while most labels used vague common names or umbrella terms such as ‘flake’ and ‘snapper’. These poor-quality labels had higher rates of mislabelling than species-specific labels and concealed the sale of threatened or overfished taxa, as well as products with lower nutritional quality, reduced economic value, or potential health risks. Our results highlight Australia’s weak seafood labelling regulations and ambiguous non-mandatory naming conventions, which impede consumer choice for accurately represented, sustainable, and responsibly sourced seafood. We recommend strengthening labelling regulations to mitigate seafood mislabelling and substitution, ultimately improving consumer confidence when purchasing seafood. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-12T17:08:25Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-9a89545be52d4e1db078acdadd2a1b62 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2045-2322 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-12T17:08:25Z |
| publishDate | 2023-08-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Scientific Reports |
| spelling | doaj.art-9a89545be52d4e1db078acdadd2a1b622023-08-06T11:14:51ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222023-08-0113111710.1038/s41598-023-37066-4Seafood label quality and mislabelling rates hamper consumer choices for sustainability in AustraliaMegan E. Cundy0Julia Santana-Garcon1Alexander G. McLennan2Marcelle E. Ayad3Philipp E. Bayer4Madalyn Cooper5Shannon Corrigan6Emily Harrison7Chris Wilcox8Flourishing Oceans Initiative, Minderoo FoundationFlourishing Oceans Initiative, Minderoo FoundationFlourishing Oceans Initiative, Minderoo FoundationFlourishing Oceans Initiative, Minderoo FoundationFlourishing Oceans Initiative, Minderoo FoundationFlourishing Oceans Initiative, Minderoo FoundationFlourishing Oceans Initiative, Minderoo FoundationFlourishing Oceans Initiative, Minderoo FoundationFlourishing Oceans Initiative, Minderoo FoundationAbstract Seafood mislabelling and species substitution, compounded by a convoluted seafood supply chain with significant traceability challenges, hinder efforts towards more sustainable, responsible, and ethical fishing and business practices. We conducted the largest evaluation of the quality and accuracy of labels for 672 seafood products sold in Australia, assessing six seafood groups (i.e., hoki, prawns, sharks and rays, snapper, squid and cuttlefish, and tuna) from fishmongers, restaurants, and supermarkets, including domestically caught and imported products. DNA barcoding revealed 11.8% of seafood tested did not match their label with sharks and rays, and snappers, having the highest mislabelling rate. Moreover, only 25.5% of products were labelled at a species-level, while most labels used vague common names or umbrella terms such as ‘flake’ and ‘snapper’. These poor-quality labels had higher rates of mislabelling than species-specific labels and concealed the sale of threatened or overfished taxa, as well as products with lower nutritional quality, reduced economic value, or potential health risks. Our results highlight Australia’s weak seafood labelling regulations and ambiguous non-mandatory naming conventions, which impede consumer choice for accurately represented, sustainable, and responsibly sourced seafood. We recommend strengthening labelling regulations to mitigate seafood mislabelling and substitution, ultimately improving consumer confidence when purchasing seafood.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-37066-4 |
| spellingShingle | Megan E. Cundy Julia Santana-Garcon Alexander G. McLennan Marcelle E. Ayad Philipp E. Bayer Madalyn Cooper Shannon Corrigan Emily Harrison Chris Wilcox Seafood label quality and mislabelling rates hamper consumer choices for sustainability in Australia Scientific Reports |
| title | Seafood label quality and mislabelling rates hamper consumer choices for sustainability in Australia |
| title_full | Seafood label quality and mislabelling rates hamper consumer choices for sustainability in Australia |
| title_fullStr | Seafood label quality and mislabelling rates hamper consumer choices for sustainability in Australia |
| title_full_unstemmed | Seafood label quality and mislabelling rates hamper consumer choices for sustainability in Australia |
| title_short | Seafood label quality and mislabelling rates hamper consumer choices for sustainability in Australia |
| title_sort | seafood label quality and mislabelling rates hamper consumer choices for sustainability in australia |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-37066-4 |
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