"Bill carries fines for mislabeled seafood" by Jenn Abelson | Globe Staff, January 18, 2013
Massachusetts would levy fines on supermarkets and restaurants that mislabel seafood and become the first state in the nation to ban the sale of escolar, an oily species known as the “ex-lax” fish that is often served as sushi, under legislation expected to be filed Friday.
The bill, proposed by the Legislature’s Joint Committee on Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure, comes more than a year after a Boston Globe report revealed widespread seafood substitution in restaurants across Massachusetts. In many instances, less desirable and cheaper species took the place of fresh local fish. A follow-up investigation published last fall found most of those restaurants were still mislabeling seafood.
Businesses caught misrepresenting fish such as Atlantic cod, Atlantic halibut, red snapper, or grey sole could face fines of up to $800 and have their license to operate suspended or revoked after repeat offenses, according to the legislation....
The law would also prohibit the sale of escolar, frequently mislabeled as white tuna or albacore at sushi restaurants, and punish first-time violators with a minimum $400 fine or license suspension. Albacore, a white tuna desired for its mild taste, is not related to escolar and typically costs 20 percent more.
Escolar, a fast-growing fish found in tropical and temperate waters around the world, is banned in Italy and Japan but is legally available across the United States.
The Food and Drug Administration, which oversees the labeling of imported and domestically shipped fish, advises against the sale of escolar because it contains an oil that sometimes triggers severe gastrointestinal distress....
And I thought it was my Globe. Maybe I'll just skip lunch today.
Nationwide, mislabeled seafood, which includes substituted species and fish with inaccurate weight labeling, is estimated to cost consumers and the industry hundreds of millions of dollars annually, according to industry groups.
Massachusetts already has some rules against the sale of misleading seafood that carry potential fines of $500, but state lawmakers said there is apparently no agency charged with enforcement [of] seafood fraud....
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Also see Sunday Globe Specials: Fish Dinner if you want a second helping.
