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Started By
Message
Is your Gulf Red Snapper really Chinese Tilapia?
Posted on 2/20/12 at 1:20 pm
Posted on 2/20/12 at 1:20 pm
quote:
Recent studies by the organization Oceana, the Boston Globe newspaper and Consumer Reports magazine have confirmed a growing trend of mislabeling fish. The Globe investigation was particularly worrying - of 183 samples of fish taken from Massachusetts restaurants, grocery stores and fish markets, 87 samples (48 percent) were incorrectly labeled (identification was done through DNA testing). Stunningly, of the 26 samples labeled as red snapper, 24 were actually different species of fish.
The mislabeling of fish can occur for many reasons, some harmless and some nefarious. Sometimes it's an honest mistake - a distributor sends the wrong fish to a restaurant and the chef doesn't notice. But more and more, due to economic conditions, restaurants are actually serving less expensive fish in place of more expensive fish listed on the menu, and pocketing the difference. In the vast majority of cases, the consumer never knows the difference.
Now I know the discerning taste here on the F&D board would never be fooled so easily. But quite the scam if you can get away with it.
LINK
7
Posted on 2/20/12 at 1:24 pm to MSMHater
quote:
taken from Massachusetts restaurants
I would be a whole lot more shocked if they said Louisiana for GULF Red Snapper. People in Massachusetts are a lot less likely to know what red snapper should taste like.
Posted on 2/20/12 at 1:26 pm to MSMHater
Isn't it true that it's not illegal to mislabel foods in restaurants?
Agree with Catman. It would be pretty obvious if a restaurant were doing that here. People would know. Restaurants get away with serving Chinese crab and crawfish as the Louisiana version though.
Agree with Catman. It would be pretty obvious if a restaurant were doing that here. People would know. Restaurants get away with serving Chinese crab and crawfish as the Louisiana version though.
Posted on 2/20/12 at 1:37 pm to TulaneLSU
Agreed. And I 100% support using American and Gulf of Mexico seafood. Chinese seafood is NOT safe & is terrible quality. We should be supporting our own fishermen.
Posted on 2/20/12 at 1:43 pm to MSMHater
Good trick to pull on those Massholes. I bet they would have a hard time getting away with it down here..
Posted on 2/20/12 at 1:45 pm to MSMHater
Posted on 2/20/12 at 1:46 pm to LSUballs
quote:
Good trick to pull on those Massholes. I bet they would have a hard time getting away with it down here..
I used to work for a catering company and they tried to sneak Tilapia off as redfish. No one noticed.
Posted on 2/20/12 at 1:46 pm to TulaneLSU
quote:
Isn't it true that it's not illegal to mislabel foods in restaurants?
To my understanding, it is illegal to mislabel foods in a restaurant. They started cracking down on this a few years in restaurants and some restaurants that served basa could no longer call it catfish on their menu. I really don't think it is enforced too much though. I know they are definitely cracking down on selling mislabeled fresh fish now and country of origins. All fresh fish you buy in the store must have the country of origin and name on it.
And there are all kinds of different types of snapper that are similar to red snapper that make it tough to tell when it's just the meat and no skin on the filet. Most people could not pick out the difference between the fish below and an american red snapper if it was just the fillet/meat.
Local snapper and imported snappers from the carribean and south america that are red or redish in color but can't be called "red snapper".
Pacific lane red snapper
Atlantic lane snapper (red with yellowish stripes)
Yellow snapper
Hog Snappers
Queen snapper
Mutton snapper
Blackfin snapper
Mangrove snapper
Silk snapper
Yellowtail (red with yellow stripe and yellow tail)
Bigeye snapper
And I'm sure I missed some more that are red or redish in color.
This post was edited on 2/20/12 at 1:49 pm
Posted on 2/20/12 at 1:47 pm to LSUballs
quote:
Good trick to pull on those Massholes. I bet they would have a hard time getting away with it down here..
Really? You don't think mislabeling a halibut or Chilean sea bass might work down here?
Posted on 2/20/12 at 1:48 pm to Powerman
quote:
tried to sneak Tilapia off as redfish. No one noticed.
Doesnt sound like they tried.. Sounds like they did.
Maybe people noticed it didnt taste right and just didnt say anything.
Posted on 2/20/12 at 1:49 pm to JasonL79
quote:
Most people could not pick out the difference between the fish below and an american red snapper if it was just the fillet/meat.
Of course the problem with that is some people like me are allergic to some of those fish and not to others.
My tastebuds might not tell the difference but when my lips swell up I'll know you're bullshitting me.
Not a very smart practice. If I were to incur medical bills because a place almost killed me with some shite I'm allergic to and they lied about what it is....well...they'd have a lawsuit on their hands. They should be more responsible with what they do.
Posted on 2/20/12 at 1:56 pm to Powerman
quote:
Not a very smart practice. If I were to incur medical bills because a place almost killed me with some shite I'm allergic to and they lied about what it is....well...they'd have a lawsuit on their hands. They should be more responsible with what they do.
That's why it is illegal and they shouldn't be doing it. It would be hard for the goverment to police this though.
Restaurants have been substituting stuff for years. At one time a lot of restaurants in the city used to substitute boiled sheephead for crabmeat. I don't think it happens as much now but it used to happen all the time. There were a bunch of restaurants that also used to have Bay Snapper on their menu when it was sheephead. I'm sure they substituted redfish for drum and vice versa a good bit. And some used to substitute mangrove snapper for drum/redfish also. They are pretty similar in look, taste, and texture.
Posted on 2/20/12 at 1:58 pm to MSMHater
quote:
Really? You don't think mislabeling a halibut or Chilean sea bass might work down here?
I was refering to your title which alludes to passing off Chinese Tilapia as Gulf Red Snapper. I think it would be a hell of a lot easier to accomplish in New England as opposed to here.
This post was edited on 2/20/12 at 2:03 pm
Posted on 2/20/12 at 1:58 pm to JasonL79
quote:
And I'm sure I missed some more that are red or redish in color.
Vermillion.........but a Snapper is a Snapper, subbing that awful Talapia for Snapper (or anything else) is just wrong........
Posted on 2/20/12 at 2:00 pm to Catman88
quote:
Maybe people noticed it didnt taste right and just didnt say anything.
That was one of the arguements in the link I posted.
If someone is fooled into thinking that the tilapia actually was redfish, then the impression they get (soggy, fishy, etc...) of the redfish "brand" forever takes a hit. They won't order it at restaurants, or purchase it from stores and markets, which eventually trickles down to fisherman and suppliers here in the South. In reality though, they have never tasted redfish, and their opinion of it is based on ignorance and "fraud".
This post was edited on 2/20/12 at 2:02 pm
Posted on 2/20/12 at 2:00 pm to MSMHater
You mean food companies might not be totally honest about their ingredients? And they may user lower quality substitutes to increase their profit margins?
Posted on 2/20/12 at 2:00 pm to TreeDawg
quote:
Vermillion.........but a Snapper is a Snapper, subbing that awful Talapia for Snapper (or anything else) is just wrong........
I knew I missed some. I was thinking about B-Liners and forgot to write it. Yep that is pretty bad. The look, taste, and texture of tilapia is way different than red snapper to me.
quote:
but a Snapper is a Snapper
I guess the problem is that one snapper may be around $2.50/lb(think B-liner) and the other may be around $5.75/lb(think Red Snapper) and the restaurant calls both Red Snapper and charges a premium price (say $35-$40 for entree) for both. It's not completely honest for the customer.
This post was edited on 2/20/12 at 2:05 pm
Posted on 2/20/12 at 2:55 pm to JasonL79
quote:
used to have Bay Snapper on their menu when it was sheephead. I'm sure they substituted redfish for drum and vice versa a good bit
Redfish is a drum and Bay Snapper is a common name for sheepshead though.
I think thats a bit off topic.. not the same as taliapia for snapper.
Posted on 2/20/12 at 3:24 pm to MSMHater
A fish of a different color, but I recently ate a "Fish Covered with Etouffe" dish at a local restaurant that was good. When I asked if it was Catfish, I was told it was Basa..............
LINK
It looked like Catfish, tasted like Catfish, smelled like Catfish and it actually WAS Catfish........just Vietnamese Catfish.........
LINK
It looked like Catfish, tasted like Catfish, smelled like Catfish and it actually WAS Catfish........just Vietnamese Catfish.........
Posted on 2/20/12 at 4:07 pm to Catman88
quote:
Redfish is a drum and Bay Snapper is a common name for sheepshead though
Both of them are drum but you still aren't supposed to sell redfish as black drum or vice versa. If you aren't supposed to sell it that way as fresh then you aren't supposed to sell it cooked. It's still mislabeling and they (FDA, department of agriculture, and LDWF) have been trying to crack down on it the last 5 or so years. And no matter how you break it down, sheephead is not a type of snapper. They are actually a member of the porgy or seabream family. The difference on redfish fillets versus drum fillets can be around $4-$5/lb and the difference between snapper fillets and sheephead fillets can be around $5-$10/lb. You are starting to hear more and more of these types of tests that are being done that show restaurants doing the types of things as stated in link by the op.
They have had several seafood wholesalers/importers go to jail in the last 10 years by mislabeling fish such as grouper, snapper,etc. Most of it was frozen though where it is harder to catch them.
This post was edited on 2/20/12 at 4:13 pm
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