Consumer integrity and trust are one of the main challenges facing modern food trade, not least in the wake of scandals such as the so-called "horsemeat issue", but in recent years there have been a number of international cases where intermediaries and consumers are deceived in seafood trade. .
Examples of such deceptions are when cheap brands are sold as more expensive, frozen products are sold as fresh, substances are added to products to gain weight, change appearance, extend the life or hide the product without being mentioned in the description of ingredients, types in endangered species are sold under a false flag and so on.
Last Wednesday, Matís hosted a seminar on how genetic engineering can be used to ensure integrity in trade in aquaculture and aquaculture products. The seminar was divided into four parts, where each part began with a short introduction to a specific topic and then a general discussion. Presentations that accompanied the introduction of each section can be accessed below.
- Methods for monitoring and verifying the content of feed for aquaculture
- Methods for detecting unwanted micro-organisms in seafood
- Genetic methods for species identification and tracing of origin
- Market requirements and utilization of genetic information with regard to regulatory and economic factors
The seminar was well attended, with about fifty stakeholders from across the value chain of seafood attending the meeting and a very good discussion ensued. There was a consensus among the participants that this was a matter of great interest to Icelandic food producers.
30% samples taken by Matís employees at ten restaurants in Reykjavík showed that it was not the type of fish that had been ordered from the menu.
In a lecture Jónas R. Viðarsson, Matís's specialist director, stated that research on species miscelling in seafood trade in Europe and the United States shows that about a third of the fish sold is of a different species than stated on the packaging or menu. The problem varies by species and point of sale, as species such as tuna and snapper are at high risk of being replaced by other species without being informed. Atlantic cod is also high on the list. Species fraud seems to be particularly common in sushi restaurants and restaurants that sell breaded fish, such as fish & chips.
Matís is a participant in international research, FoodIntegrity, Authenticate and Authent-Net, where, among other things, samples are collected in Icelandic restaurants and subsequently genetic testing is performed to determine whether samples are in accordance with what is stated on the menu. Confirmation is always sought from the restaurant staff about the type of fish. The research projects are still ongoing, but of the 27 samples that have already been analyzed, eight were not in accordance with the menu.
For further information Jónas