A notice to consumers published in the Farmer’s Daily (part of the People’s Daily newspaper published by the Communist Party of China) is warning seafood buyers in China to check labels and packaging for authenticity.
The statement from the Chinese Agricultural Ministry, which terms widespread misrepresentation of seafood as “Fish eyes for pearls,” cautions Chinese consumers in the run-up to Chinese New Year to be wary of price-gouging, pointing to seafood falsely sold as imported products as well as legitimate but overpriced imported seafood.
It also explains that the consumers should expect lower prices for crab sourced from neighboring states such as Russia and North Korea compared to prices for cooked and frozen crab from locations such as the Americas and Europe.
