What Are You Actually Eating?

Summary of Article: A recent study has found that fish across the country is being mislabeled. For instance, at a red snapper fish market in New York, 120 samples labeled as red snapper were actually found to be 28 different types of fish, and 17 weren't even in the red snapper family. Click for article.

Outline of Discussion with Kids:

• When you go to the market to buy food, how do you know what it is you are buying? (Answer: packaging, labels). What happens if it is labeled incorrectly? (Answer: you aren't eating what you think you are eating). Why is this a problem? (If you have food restrictions, or keep kosher, this could be a big problem; health concerns.)
• Right now in Europe and America, studies are finding that some foods are not properly labeled. In Europe, they have just found that some non-kosher meats that are labeled as beef (from cows) are actually horse meat! Can you imagine if you found out you were eating a horse by accident!?
• In 12 places in America, a group studied fish and found out that fish were not what they were always labeled as. Red snapper was actually not always red snapper. Some were fish that are cousins to red snapper and some aren't red snapper at all! In New York, 94% of the time, fish marked as tuna was not tuna. Because we aren't fishermen, when we look at a fish, we can't tell the difference. They all look the same to us. And so we trust the labels.
• Where do you think is the worst place for fish mislabeling in the country? Answer: Southern California, such as Los Angeles.
• Who was mislabeling the most? According to the study, the top mis-labeler was sushi bars, next was restaurants, and last was grocery stores.
• What is the crime here? Someone is being dishonest in the labeling and tricking the buyer/consumer. This is called "consumer fraud" and it can be a crime if it is done knowingly. The person doing it could go to jail. Why is this a crime?
• One reason it is a crime is because it could cause some people to get sick. For instance, pregnant women and children should not fish that have high levels of mercury. It could poison them. If people think they are buying fish that is low in mercury but actually it is a high-mercury fish, what could happen? They could get very sick. That is why proper labeling is so important.