"A watered-down deal for seafood shoppers; Frozen fish from the supermarket often has excess ice — and consumers pay the price" by Jenn Abelson |
Globe Staff, September 23, 2012
Both watered-down packages came from the Henry Gonsalves Co., a Rhode
Island food supplier that repeatedly sold underweight frozen fish to
local supermarket chains, according to a Boston Globe investigation....
The underweight seafood from Gonsalves is part of a persistent
problem in the industry, though the company says any mislabeling is
unintentional. Typically, frozen seafood is coated with ice to keep it
fresh and minimize freezer burn. Some businesses in the supply chain add
extra ice and include it in the weight declared on the label. Retailers end up charging for the water, and shoppers pay more money for less fish.
I've noticed that pattern regarding more than just fish in the supermarkets.
While individual shoppers are shortchanged in small increments,
cumulatively, excess water in seafood is a serious issue, said Lisa
Weddig of the National Fisheries Institute, a Virginia-based trade
organization.
“Rather than looking at this as 30 cents here and 30 cents there, we
should be looking at this as a $69 billion seafood industry and these
practices could be costing the industry and consumers tens, if not
hundreds, of millions of dollars in the end,” Weddig said....
They are acting just like banks, but that's AmeriKan capitalism these days. Gouge the consumer for bottom-line profit.
--more--"
Related: Scallops are routinely sold with excess water
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