The Globe hired a lab in Canada to conduct DNA tests on fish that reporters purchased across the region. The results showed that nearly half, or 87 of the 183 seafood samples, were sold with the wrong species name. Such mislabeling can put consumers at risk of suffering allergic reactions, violating dietary restrictions, or ingesting chemicals banned in the United States.
“We are taking this seriously,’’ Barbara Anthony, undersecretary of the state’s Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation, said yesterday during her testimony. “When there are market failures, that’s a problem.’’
She said her agency, the state Department of Public Health, and the Department of Fish and Game, have had preliminary discussions about fish genetics testing with the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth School for Marine Science and Technology, and hope to present a plan of action to state officials in coming weeks.
Members of the consumer protection committee repeatedly raised concerns yesterday about escolar, a species that is frequently substituted for white tuna and is banned in Japan because it can make people sick. The Globe-sponsored DNA testing found that nearly all 23 white tuna samples tested as escolar, nicknamed the “ex-lax’’ fish by some in the industry. The Food and Drug Administration, which oversees the labeling of imported and domestically shipped fish, advises against the sale of escolar in the United States because of its potential health risks.
When the committee asked why Massachusetts does not ban the sale of escolar, Suzanne Condon, associate commissioner of the state’s health department, responded: “That’s something we’d like to talk a bit more about with our partners at the FDA. . . . It might be something we could take further regulatory actions on.’’
