The consumers of Mexico City are being scammed when they purchase frozen seafood at supermarkets, says an article from Mexico News Daily. Buyers in the supermarket are being subjected to this fish fraud by having to buy the seafood and the protective layer of ice that envelops them.

The Study

The study was performed by Oceana, ocean conservation and advocacy group. Agua por Pescado (Water for Fish), the title of the study, evaluated 82 samples of fish and shrimp. The seafood was bought at 10 different supermarkets. It was operated by 10 unique chains in the capital.

According to the results of the study, 98% of the total cases included in the study revealed that the seafood sold to customers included the ice that enveloped the product. It means that these customers were also paying for the ice the covered the seafood.

According to the study, at least 57% of the overall weight of the product bought was ice that covered the fish and shrimp.

Penalty for Seafood Grazing

The federal consumer protection organization Profeco was not able to charge penalties to the grocery stores conducting fish fraud. The reason for the failure to penalize them is the lack of a licit framework that aims to monitor the activities of seafood glazing. Additionally, it is still unknown if the envelope of ice was placed in plants or the grocery shops.

Victim of the Scam

According to Renata Terrazas, the customers who were buying glazed seafood are not notified by the supermarkets that they were also paying for the ice that enveloped the fish.

Terrazas said that approximately 4% to 57% of the total weight of the product was ice and the consumers are being charged for those amounts.

Terraza said that a kilo of shrimp they bought in a supermarket weighed only 430 grams while the remaining 570 grams were water. She stressed how consumers are being made to pay for water without being warned.

According to Terraza, the imported seafood she bought was enveloped with a thick layer of ice compared to the local product sold in the supermarket.

The highest ice-to-seafood ratio was found to be from tilapia, catfish fillet products, and shrimp.

Ice-to-Seafood Ratio Patterns

According to Terraza, it was found that the ice-to-seafood ratio was from 30% to 57% for imported seafood. Other local products were found to have a maximum of 30% glazing with an average of not more than 20%.

Policy of Traceability

The campaign director stated that the solution to the fish fraud of charging customers for the ice that enveloped seafood in the supermarket is the formulation and implementation of a 'policy of traceability.' This policy offers to give substantial information for the processes that the seafood undergoes.

According to Terraza, Oceana is communicating with federal agricultural authorities. These authorities include the National Aquaculture and Fishing Commission.

The talks will center on creating the policy needed to monitor and restrict the fraudulent act of charging customers the ice that envelops the fish sold at supermarkets.

The efforts will be in collaboration with Profeco, Federal Commission for Protection Against Health Risks, and the Economy Ministry.