A new study from Seattle Pacific University finds significant mislabeling of salmon in Seattle’s sushi restaurants and grocery stores. The investigation, using DNA analysis, reveals 18% of samples were mislabeled, igniting concerns about consumer fraud and sustainability impacts.
A recent study conducted by researchers at Seattle Pacific University has uncovered that 18% of salmon samples from grocery stores and sushi restaurants in Seattle were mislabeled. This revelation has sparked concerns about consumer fraud and impediments to sustainable fishing efforts.
The study, led by Tracie Delgado, a professor of biology in the Biology Department at Seattle Pacific University, has been published in the open-access journal PLOS ONE.
The researchers collected and analyzed 119 salmon samples from 67 grocery stores and 52 sushi restaurants between the fall of 2022 and fall of 2023 using DNA sequencing methods. Their findings indicated that mislabeling occurred significantly more in sushi restaurants than in grocery stores.
“Despite recent legislation that makes mislabeling of salmon illegal, salmon mislabeling fraud is still a problem in Seattle,” Delgado said in a news release. “We found Seattle sushi restaurants are far more likely to give you farmed salmon in place of vendor-claimed wild salmon.”
The study revealed that 32.3% of the restaurant samples were mislabeled as wild when they were, in fact, farmed. In grocery stores, none of the farmed salmon samples were falsely labeled as wild. Additionally, one wild-caught species was often mislabeled as another, occurring in 38.7% of the restaurant samples and 11.1% of the grocery samples.
The financial analysis of the findings showed that mislabeling at sushi restaurants came at the expense of the customer, while mislabeling at grocery stores had no significant financial impact.
The specific points in the supply chain where this mislabeling happens remain unclear, but it is unlikely to occur at the point of harvest, the researchers suggested.
Washington State, a major supplier of wild salmon in the United States, outlawed salmon mislabeling in 2013, citing its adverse effects on consumers, fishers, vendors and ecosystems.
Prior studies indicated a 20% mislabeling rate between 2009 and 2011, which dropped to 2% in 2012 following the sentencing of a major distributor for fraudulent practices.
The research team expressed surprise at the high rates of mislabeling, particularly because most samples were collected during the salmon season when accurate labeling would be expected. They argue that stronger enforcement of existing laws and consumer education are essential for combating this issue.
“Failure to properly label wild salmon is a serious problem because it prevents accurate tracking of supply chains and therefore makes it more difficult to sustain and conserve wild salmon,” Delgado added. “It’s important to continue to develop and enforce legislation that requires accurate seafood labeling, from fisher to plate, and educate the public on how commercial salmon fraud impacts wild salmon conservation.”
Given the study’s implications for both consumer trust and environmental conservation, it underscores the vital need for transparency and accuracy in seafood labeling.