Hello FDA? Mislabelled fish alert! "Fake grouper turns up around Florida"

[elehhhhna]

Jan. 3, 2008, 1:00PM
Fake grouper turns up around Florida


By BRENDAN FARRINGTON Associated Press Writer
© 2008 The Associated Press


TAMPA, Fla. —
*snip*

Many restaurants in Florida have been caught passing off Asian catfish, tilapia or other cheaper species as grouper. Fake grouper is by far the biggest food-misrepresentation problem Florida inspectors handle, and it has turned up in all corners of the state — even at the Capitol cafeteria.

The Florida Department of Business & Professional Regulation, which regulates restaurants, found 139 cases of something other than grouper being sold as the fish between January 2006 through the end of last October — more than half of all food misrepresentation cases statewide during that time. The runners-up were 75 cases of fake crab and 34 cases of fake tuna.

*snip*

About a year ago, an owner of two Florida Panhandle seafood companies was sentenced to prison after federal authorities caught him selling more than a million pounds of Asian catfish labeled as grouper.

In the Miami area, inspectors walked into a food processing plant and found workers taking 6,000 pounds of Vietnamese catfish that sells wholesale for about $2.50 a pound and repackaging it as grouper, which goes for about $6 wholesale.


http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/nation/5425258.html

[TZ]

1. That's why the FDA needs MORE FUNDING

and inspectors. It is sadly lacking which is why more of this stuff happens. This is also what happens when the Repukes insist that we don't need no stinkin regulation

[janx]

2. That's weird.

There used to be loads of grouper in Florida waters. Quite the comical fish!

[Earth_First]

3. "Hey Frankie; what's the fish in for?"

"Fish."

[fishnfla]

4. This is an old trick

the problem really comes in when they swap endangered species, like snook, for the real stuff.

[TreasonousBastard]

5. Yeah, I used to buy a lot at the Fulton Fish Market, and...

remember one guy threw a awordfish head in the box with a shark. Another guy came in and sold a few thousand pounds of skate wings as sea scallops then split before we figured it out.

Also remember the "halibut scallops" that involved a halibut fillet and a cookie cutter.

Sometimes the retailer or restaurant owner gets scammed, but don't think they don't usually know what kind of a bargain they're getting.

[rateyes]

6. FAKE TUNA?!!

Sorry, Charlie.

[aikoaiko]

7. Its really hard to imagine anyone mistaking catfish and tilapia for grouper.

I'm off to the supermarket now -- I need to get my grouper on.

[DCKit]

8. That farm raised Asian fish is chock full of all kinds of good things...

Antibiotics, fungicides and algaecides. How can that not be better than wild-caught grouper? :sarcasm: