For some, finding local seafood in Baton Rouge is as simple as a stop at Tony’s Seafood Market and Deli or enjoying a meal at one of the many local seafood establishments where chefs can call up their favorite fisherman for fresh-caught Gulf fish.
But if the product is sourced from other parts of the country or is imported, consumers might not be eating the species of seafood they think they ordered.
As Business Report details in a feature from the current issue, beneath all the batter and spice lies a complex tale of how a shrimp, fish or lobster tail ends up on a plate.
The mislabeling of seafood or substitution of one species of seafood for another is known as seafood fraud. It has raised concerns nationally among seafood suppliers and environmentalists and may impact the Gulf seafood industry.
The species under the most scrutiny recently is shrimp. While shrimp may be America’s favorite seafood according to the National Marine Fisheries Service, consumers may not always get what they ask for.
David Veal, executive director of the American Shrimp Processors Association, says the economic detriment to the domestic industry from seafood fraud became tangible in 2000 following a steady growth in U.S. population and an increase in the amount of shrimp consumed per person.
“It [seafood fraud] damages us in the sense that people get the impression that everything they buy is a domestic product, and it damages us in the sense that it is more difficult for us to specify that our product is better and should demand a premium price,” Veal says.
According to a study released in October by the environmental advocacy group Oceana, DNA analyses of shrimp across the country revealed that 35% of shrimp sold in U.S. grocery stores and restaurants was improperly labeled by species or type, thus raising questions about food safety and complicating efforts to promote sustainability.
According to Veal, such fraud poses a threat to the domestic seafood industry.
“If you look across the U.S. since we started these free trade agreements in the last 25 years, look at the industries that have gone out of business,” he said. “Find an American-made product. It is incredibly difficult to do.”
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