BSB Resources

Explore all of the Better Seafood Board collection of Resources, Downloads, links, and multimedia features.

Did You Know?

Did You Know?FDA States that "White Roughy" not Acceptable Market Name for Basa. NFI received a letter from FDA this past week clarifying the agency's policy for the use of the term "white roughy" for basa fish.

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Did You Know?

basa fish and roughy

White Roughy is not an acceptable Market Name for Basa

In a letter to NFI, FDA clarified the agency’s policy for the use of the term “white roughy” for basa. FDA believes that marketing basa or any other fish in the Pangasiidae family as “white roughy” is misleading to the consumer. Fish known as “roughies” such as “orange roughy” are classified differently from Basa and command a higher value in the marketplace. Misleading fish names violate the U.S. Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act.

Better Seafood Board

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About the Better Seafood Board

Members of the National Fisheries Institute (NFI) have taken a pledge to stamp out economic fraud in the seafood industry.

The Better Seafood Board (BSB) was formed in 2007 to support the commitment of NFI members to abide by industry principles of economic integrity by not selling seafood that is short in weight or count, that has the wrong name, or that has been transshipped from one country to another to circumvent duties and tariffs.

The BSB, an organization governed independently from NFI, provides the mechanism for industry's partners in the supply chain - restaurants, retail operations, further manufacturers - to report suppliers committing economic fraud. Seafood buyers who have unresolved issues with their suppliers for selling short weight or otherwise mislabeled products are encouraged to contact the BSB call center at 1-866-956-4BSB (or 1-866-956-4272) to document these issues.

Suppliers who cheat customers cheat the entire industry. Suppliers, restaurants and retailers who follow the rules often get penalized in the marketplace. Fair and lawful business practices are essential for ensuring consumer confidence in seafood – the entire supply chain is responsible for maintaining this confidence.

In The News

February 23, 2012 Miami, FL
Tampa Residents and a Tampa-Based Company Charged with Conspiracy to Sell Mislabeled Shrimp

The Department of Justice, along with National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Office of Law Enforcement, announced the indictment of Walter Schoepf, Karl Degiacomi, Culinary Specialties, Inc., of Tampa, on charges of conspiracy to sell mislabeled shrimp, false labeling of shrimp, and misbranding.  According to the indictment, Schoepf and Degiacomi, the owners of Culinary Specialties, conspired with Richard Stowell, United Seafood, Inc., (United), Adrian Vela, and Sea Food Center, to violate the Lacey Act by mislabeling and selling approximately 500,000 pounds of shrimp. The shrimp, valued at more than $400,000, was ultimately sold to supermarkets in the northeastern United States.

In prior court proceedings, Stowell and United pled guilty and were sentenced on April 27, 2011 Vela and Sea Food Center also pled guilty and were sentenced on November 21, 2011.

If convicted, Schoepf and Degiacomi face a statutory maximum sentence of up to five years in prison on the conspiracy and false labeling counts of the indictment. Additionally, the defendants face a maximum statutory sentence of up to three years in prison on the misbranding count. Culinary Specialties faces fines of up to $500,000.00 per count. A trial date has not yet been set in this matter.

February 6, 2012 Washington, DC
California Seafood Corporation Sentenced to Pay $1 Million for False Labeling of Seafood Products

The Department of Justice announces the sentencing in federal court of Seafood Solutions Inc. to pay $1 million in fines and community service payments for its role in the false labeling of frozen fish fillets.  The corporation was fined $700,000 and ordered to make a community service donation of $300,000 to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.  In addition, the company was sentenced to three years of probation, was ordered to forfeit all remaining inventory of the falsely labeled fish and to develop and implement a corporate compliance plan.

Seafood Solutions was convicted on July 25, 2011, of a single count of trafficking in fish knowing that the fish had been transported and sold in violation of the U.S. Lacey Act. Specifically, the fish, Pangasius hypophthalmus, were misleadingly labeled as “Paradise Grouper” and “Falcon Baie Grouper.” Seafood Solutions was one of three defendants named; co-defendants Chau-Shing (Duke) Lin and Christopher Ragone also entered guilty pleas on July 25, 2011.

Duke Lin of Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif. pleaded guilty to one count of trafficking in fish when in the exercise of due care he should have known that the fish had been transported and sold in violation of the Lacey Act. Duke Lin also pleaded guilty to one count of misbranding food. Christopher Ragone of Santa Ana, Calif. pleaded guilty to two counts of misbranding food. The sentencing hearing for the individuals is set for Feb. 13, 2012.

Are Maxport and other companies offering to help you break the law?

Are Maxport and other companies offering to help you break the law?

FDA Guidance

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FDA Published Guidance to Acceptable Market Names for Seafood FDA has posted on the agency's website an updated guidance on acceptable market names for seafood and an updated, searchable Seafood List.

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FDA Guidelines

basa fish and roughy

FDA Publishes Guidance to Acceptable Market Names for Seafood

FDA has posted on the agency's website updated guidance on determining acceptable market names for seafood along with a searchable Seafood List. The document is intended to provide guidance to industry about what FDA considers to be acceptable market names for seafood sold in interstate commerce and to assist manufacturers in labeling seafood products. The Seafood List provides information to assist manufacturers in properly labeling seafood and to reflect the acceptable market names of new species introduced into the U.S. marketplace. Included in the guidance document is a section outlining the principles for determining acceptable market names which outlines FDA thinking in evaluating whether or not a name is an acceptable market name. We encourage you to share this FDA Guidance Document and updated Seafood List with your suppliers and customers to support your commitment to ensuring that your products are labeled with the correct species identification.

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INDUSTRY SCOOP

  • 2012 NFI Spring Political Meeting
    NFI invites you to participate in the 2012 Spring Political Event, May 15-17, in Washington, DC at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel. To register for the meeting, Contact NFI at 703.752.8882 or Rbarry@nfi.org.