K A S H R U T . C O M_©

The following news from the Seafoodsouce.com on August 1, 2012.

U.S. Reps Edward Markey and Barney Frank, of Massachusetts, on Wednesday introduced the Safety and Fraud Enforcement (SAFE) for Seafood Act, legislation aimed at minimizing the prevalence of seafood fraud on July 25, 2012. This bill would require full traceability for all seafood sold in the United States. U.S. Reps. William Keating, Walter Jones and Joe Courtney also co-sponsored the bill. This bill increases inspections, it increases penalties, and it increases coordination at the federal level and with state and local agencies.”
Just this week, Oceana reported that nearly one-third of the seafood it had tested in South Florida was found to be mislabeled. The Washington, D.C.-based environmental NGO has conducted similar investigations in the Los Angeles and Boston areas, with similar results. There’s been a heightened awareness of seafood fraud in the mainstream media since last year when The Boston Globe ran a two-part exposé on the problem. But seafood fraud has long been a problem which ranges for mislabeling to short weighting.