Last year, when 17 states coordinated an extensive effort to expose short-weighted frozen seafood sold at U.S. supermarkets, it shone a light on a shadowy practice. Sure, it ended up being another mass media gut punch for an industry that’s taken its share of them, but it illustrated a real need on the industry’s part to address fraud, out in the open.
Fraud rears its head in several forms, but three methods are most common, cheating consumers out of hard-earned money and undercutting competing companies that adhere to the rules. The National Fisheries Institute (NFI) has referred to species substitution, short weighting and transshipping as the “three legs of the stool” of seafood fraud.
It’s time to cut them all off, but each can be difficult to detect and police, with limited federal resources — and especially for inexperienced or uneducated buyers.
With that in mind, SeafoodSource and SeaFood Business want to help you to learn all you can about fraud — how it happens and how to prevent it.
And here’s how: On Feb. 1, SeafoodSource Editor Steven Hedlund will host a webinar titled “Protect yourself from short-weighting.” Dave Sefcik of the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology will provide tips about how to root out short-weighted seafood from your supply chain through quality control.
And at the International Boston Seafood Show (IBSS) in March, I’ll moderate a panel discussion titled “Truth in Tare,” during which we’ll talk about all forms of fraud, how leading companies tackle them and how cheating impacts the rest of the industry. Joining me will be a key member of the American Scallop Association, which has made its own economic integrity pledge, as well as other prominent industry veterans who don’t take economic integrity lightly.
We’re also offering a reward for your commitment. If your company participates in either the webinar or the IBSS conference, it will get mentioned for free in a call-to-action advertisement on the website and in the May issue of SeaFood Business. Participate in both and earn a premium listing.
This is not a pledge, and it is not legally binding. It may be symbolic in nature, but it can still be powerful. Call it a call to action: By adding your company name to this list, you’re reaffirming that seafood buyers can trust that when they buy your fish, they get what they paid for.
Suppliers and buyers from all countries are welcome — you’re all in this together. I hope the list is long. See you in Boston.
For information on the webinar, please click here. You must be a SeafoodSource premium member to participate in the webinar. For information on the call-to-action, click here.
