Recent advances in the use of DNA and other techniques in the seafood supply chain

Summary

There have been several recent reports in the media concerning mislabelled fish, both in the national and international press. Some reports reveal obvious fraud where an expensive species is substituted with a cheaper one such as pangasius being sold as cod, or inadvertent substitution of species, where it is equally possible that the expensive species is sold as the cheap species, and vice versa. This fact sheet outlines some of the techniques currently used to accurately identify seafood and seafood products, and reviews some of the benefits and limitations of the latest DNA and other techniques used for identification purposes within commercial, enforcement and fisheries science.

Publication date

01 September 2011