Do you like to order delicious red snapper sushi? Joke’s on you, it’s probably fake. The Chicago Sun-Times had, literally, nothing to do, so it ordered 14 pieces of “red snapper” sushi and then had DNA tests done on this fish. Guess what? None of it was red snapper.

None. Zero. Not red snapper. From the Sun-Times:

In most cases, the red-tinged flesh draped across the small mound of rice was tilapia — a cheap substitute. Nine of the 14 samples were tilapia. Four were red sea bream — nearly as pricey but still not red snapper.

“It’s misbranding, and it’s fraud,” said Spring Randolph of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which oversees labeling of seafood.

The Sun-Times asserts that because there are very few sushi fish suppliers in the US (and the restaurants blame the suppliers for sending tilapia when they order snapper), the problem is probably not localized to Chicago. —MEGHANN MARCO

Fish fraud: The menus said snapper, but it wasn’t! [Sun-Times] (Thanks, David!)
(Photo: Al Podgorski/Sun-Times)

Want more consumer news? Visit our parent organization, Consumer Reports, for the latest on scams, recalls, and other consumer issues.