A study conducted by Oceana from 2010 to 2012 uncovered high levels of seafood fraud, with one in three seafood samples nationwide mislabeled.
Austin and Houston were number two on the list of places with the most mislabeling.
The study discovered snapper was mislabeled nationally 87 percent of the time. Tuna was also commonly mislabeled, in over half the national samples.
Under U.S. Food and Drug Administration guidelines, some labeling changes are allowed. However, the mislabeling found during testing by Oceana did not follow these guidelines.
The study looked only at retail outlets, specifically grocery stores, restaurants and sushi venues. Of those, grocery stores labels were most accurate with less than one in five incorrectly labeled fish.
The places with the most mislabeling:
- Southern California - 52%
- Austin/Houston - 49%
- New York City - 39%
- Northern California, Miami (tied) - 38%
- Denver - 36%
