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Farmed fish are passed off as 'wild'
Last updated at 23:52pm on 16.04.07
There is no visible difference farmed and wild fish
Farmed fish are being falsely sold as "wild" in a widespread scam that is costing consumers a fortune, leaked research has revealed.
An investigation commissioned by the Food Standards Agency found that salmon, sea bass and sea bream supposedly caught on the open seas had in fact been intensively reared in captivity.
And with wild fish typically selling for twice as much as farmed fish, as a result consumers who believe they are buying better tasting and healthier fish are being blatantly ripped off.
The Food Standards Agency last night confirmed that the advance findings of its research indeed indicated that the scam was taking place, but said further work was taking place before the full report is published
A source close to the fish research team said: "There appears to be evidence backed by authoratitive scientific tests that there is fraudulent selling and labelling in these particular markets.
"The problem we appear to have is that demand for fashionable fish such as sea bass and sea bream is outstripping supply, and crininal are moving in to fill that gap."
Consumers are being increasingly encouraged by television cooking shows to spend more money on better quality ingredients, and concern about animal welfare is also a factor in higher demand for "wild" produce.
Britons now spend some £2bn a year on wild, organic or free rance produce.
The argument for better quality is based on the fact that wild fish eat a natural and varied diet in the seas - while farmed fish tend to be fed a diet of processed foods, and there have been claims that the farm fish suffer health problems including sea lice and have their growth artificially accelerated.
Fraudulent fishmongers might think they could easily pass farmed fish off as wild, because there is no difference to the naked eye.
Yet fortunately, thanks to the huge difference in diet, there are differences between wild and farmed fish when analysed by scientists, who looked for a variation in the chemical make-up of the cells in their flesh.
They took samples of "wild" sea bass and sea bream due to be sold in Britain - but found among them fish that had the chemical indicators of farmed fish.
The scientist also analysed "wild" salmon destined for Italian and Norwegian dinner tables and found clear indications it was from a farm.
A spokeswoman for the Food Standards Agency said: "We will release our report at some point over the next two weeks. These are our initial findings, but we're still waiting for commments from the fishing industry and other scientists.
"The tests are an important development in the fight to protect the consumer."
There has also been recent concern about battery eggs sold as free range, and "corn-fed" chicken simply being normal chicken dyed yellow.
The FSA is also understood to be investigating fraud in beef, after suspicions that luxury brands such as "Aberdeen Angus" are sometimes low-quality beef imported from south America and relabelled.
Typical price differences between fish labelled as 'wild' and 'farmed
Salmon:
Wild £19/kg Farmed £6/kg
Sea Bass:
Wild £15/kg Farmed £8/kg
Trout: Wild £16/kg Farmed £8/kg
Sea Bream:
Wild £9.50/kg Farmed £7.15/kg
Reader views (2)
This should be stamped out. Many of the members of my Association who are licenced commercial fishermen risk their lives to catch wild sea bass. The high esteem in which chefs hold this fish could be undermined by substituting inferior quality farmed bass and passing it off as the real thing.
- Greg, Milford Haven, Wales
This is tandamont to theft and should carry severe penalties. Many of the 'farmers markets' that have sprung up in recent years also seem quite dubious with their claims of organic, free range, etc.
- Michael, London
