The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) is touting the validity of its labeling scheme after independent DNA testing showed that a vast majority of MSC-labeled seafood products are accurately labeled.
Of the 196 samples recently tested, 192 were correctly labelled according to species. Samples were collected from 11 different markets in Europe, Africa, the Americas, Australasia and Asia.
The four samples that were falsely labeled were investigated by certifiers; expedited audits were also carried out. For three of the four products, the issue was identified and resolved. In the fourth instance, an action plan to facilitate identification and surveillance of potential risks will be put in place.
In 2009, the MSC developed DNA tests for three species — Alaska salmon, Alaska pollock and South Georgia toothfish— and carried out testing on 240 randomly selected samples, none of which were found to be mislabeled. In 2011, MSC added South African hake, Pacific cod and hoki. Soon European plaice and haddock will be added to the list.
“The DNA analysis project provides an additional means of helping our partners protect their investment in the MSC program, and we’re going to continue to expand testing to increase our overview of the chain of custody program,” said Alison Roel, MSC product integrity manager. “Any cases where mislabelling is identified will be referred to the certifiers of the supply chain so they can be further investigated.”
