BSB

American Scallop Association “won’t tolerate cheating” November 5, 2010 Washington, DC – The largest scallop suppliers in the United States have drawn a line in the sand, telling cheaters in their industry to “clean up your act.” “We are happy to see members of the seafood community step up and say enough is enough,” said Lisa Weddig, secretary of the Better Seafood Board (BSB.) “In this case the scallop folks have committed to working with an independent, third-party auditing firm. That’s certainly a step in the right direction.” The American Scallop Association (ASA) announced Friday that not only had its members agreed to an economic integrity pledge but that they were also working to engage the National Marine Fisheries Service’s inspection service and some state agencies to address issues of fraud. “From the beginning, the BSB has said our community needs to work with regulators to help them do their jobs fairly and accurately, while weeding out bad actors,” said Weddig. ASA’s program will focus on accurate labeling and short weighting. “Change from within can be the most powerful kind,” said Weddig. “The more we hear about commitments to economic integrity the more we’re convinced real change is in the works.”  The Better Seafood Board (BSB) was established by the National Fisheries Institute to provide a mechanism for industry’s partners in the supply chain – restaurants, retail operations, producers and processors - to report suppliers suspected of committing economic fraud.  ### Contact Information:  Gavin Gibbons(703) 752-8891ggibbons@nfi.org

Some good reading on federal and state fish and wildlife officers’ activities to crack down on the illegal trade in endangered species with DNA testing.  Yes this the same testing that is used by companies to verify the identity of species.  Is that $5 grouper sandwich really grouper?

Dpt of Consumer Protection says ice has “significant impact” February 23, 2010 Washington, DC - Connecticut's Department of Consumer Protection publicly put short-weight seafood on the radar with Monday's announcement that half of the frozen fish packages it tested contained less product than labeled."We are encouraged by efforts to ensure all companies play by the rules, but also want to ensure the government agencies understand proper methodologies," said Lisa Weddig, Secretary of the Better Seafood Board (BSB.) "Back in May we brought together a number of state and federal agencies to educate their regulators about this issue and now we're seeing action."The BSB urges states' weights and measures agencies to fully understand and properly use National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) methodologies in order to detect and prevent short-weighting. Appropriate and accurate use of standardized methodologies is essential in order to avoid unintended regulatory actions."Customers should get the weight they pay for and targeted testing of products already on the shelves is one way to help make sure that happens," said Weddig. "But shining a bright light on producers who handle seafood before the consumer sees it will go a long way to addressing this issue at the source. Connecticut apparently found weights that were 3, 4 and 5% ice but the BSB routinely sees wholesale offers made up of 10, 20 and 30% ice-whether they realize it or not that type of systemic fish fraud is costing consumers big." For more than 60 years, the National Fisheries Institute (NFI) and its members have provided American families with the variety of sustainable seafood essential to a healthy diet. For more information visit: www.AboutSeafood.com. ### Contact Information:  Gavin Gibbons (703) 752-8886 ggibbons@nfi.org