Cheaper DNA testing technology is making it easier than ever for regulators and seafood firms to crack down on seafood mislabeling.
Recent research has found that 25 to 41 percent of the fish sold at retail and by restaurants is not actually the species listed on the label or the menu, making it almost impossible for consumers to make ethical and sustainable seafood choices.
So Victoria-based seafood importer Tradex Foods in December implemented DNA testing on seafood processed in China for its Sinbad house label.
Samples taken at overseas processing facilities are flown to the United States and tested by Illinois-based DNA sequencing and analysis company ACGT Inc. while the fish itself is in transit to North America by ship.
