What you see is apparently not always what you’re getting in L.A., says a county Seafood Task Force that took on the problem of mislabeled fish in the food industry. The group found that a whole slew of issues that were widespread across supermarkets and restaurants alike that could pose health problems for consumers.

 

According to CBS Los Angeles there were plenty of labeling mishaps that were in violation of the county’s standards. Included in the report were switcheroos such as fluke being passed off as halibut, tilapia being sold as perch, and somewhat incredibly, crawfish being packaged as lobster.

“There are a few situations – like escolar – where it could become a health issue,” one expert said. There were as many as 74% of all the food outlets surveyed that weren’t up to snuff according to the county.

The task force was created as a result of a nonprofit advocacy group’s findings earlier this year that over 55% of seafood products were mislabeled.

L.A. County Supervisor Michael Antonovich says the county needs access to FDA laboratories to test imported fish being sold locally.

“Consumers must have confidence that the fish they are buying at restaurants and grocery stores is safe and labeled correctly,” he said.

Slapping a wrong label on any food could be disastrous for anyone with allergies that range from food to food within a certain type. I could be allergic to tilapia but not perch, so getting the wrong fish might make for a potential health hazard.

LA County Task Force Finds Something Fishy With Seafood Labeling [CBS Los Angeles]

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