A small regional NGO has taken aim at a number of eateries and grocery stores in the St. Louis, Mo., USA, area, accusing a number of them of mislabeling their seafood.
BonafIDcatch, a group based in nearly Alton, claims to have produced a study sampling 84 different pieces of seafood from restaurants and grocery stores in the region. Of those, the group claims 28 of the samples did not match their labels, based on DNA testing from a laboratory in Florida. The study said escolar was labeled white tuna, and yellowtail was labeled as something else.
The study also found the presence of Pseudomonas bacteria in five samples taken from grocery stores. The study was dated 20 April 2015, and released in late May.
The study does not list the establishments where the seafood came from, but a press release from the group labels several big names as passing its tests, including Captain D’s, Red Lobster, Long John Silver’s and Costco.
BonafiDcatch did not respond to a request for an interview, but in the release, the group’s managing partner Joan Stader said, “In general, consumers are provided with little or no information about the origin of the fish they are buying, and the information on the labels is frequently misleading or fraudulent. BonafIDcatch empowers consumers to make safer and healthier choices when it comes to dining and shopping for seafood."
