Debate about labeling rainbow trout as salmon continues in Shanghai

The debate about whether it is right to label rainbow trout as salmon is continuing in Shanghai, after a public hearing failed to resolve the ongoing dispute, reports the Chinanews.com.

According to a new standard released by the China Aquatic Products Processing and Marketing Alliance (CAPPMA) earlier this month, rainbow trout can be labeled and sold as salmon.

[File photo: IC]

 The flesh of the two animals is nearly indistinguishable, which had led some retailers to market the trout as salmon. 

The CAPPMA has received complaints saying that, unlike salmon, rainbow trout cannot be eaten raw. The river fish can carry a parasitic worm that can be transmitted to people who eat its uncooked flesh. 

The CAPPMA was also questioned about the scientific basis for labeling rainbow trout as salmon, because they are raised differently and have different qualities.

In response to the ongoing public debate, the Shanghai Consumer Council held a public hearing on Tuesday that was attended by consumers, experts, representatives from the fishery industry, and CAPPMA. 

The CAPPMA said that "salmon" is a name commonly used by the public in China to describe different kinds of fish, and that the name was not used as a clear definition for Atlantic salmon. It says that rainbow trout and other kinds of trout are all being sold as salmon on the market.

But a survey conducted by the Shanghai Consumer Council shows that 84 percent of consumers surveyed in Shanghai believe that trout and salmon are different. The consumer council also noted that in 2014 rainbow trout was categorized as 'fake salmon' by the Shanghai Fisheries Trade Association. 

The concern that the cheaper China-produced rainbow trout will be mislabeled as imported salmon by sellers was also raised during the public hearing on Tuesday. And some attendees questioned whether it was practical to expect restaurants and retailers to label the precise species of fish being sold.

In response to the questions and concerns raised, the CAPPMA reiterated that its new standards regarding salmon had already been released, and said that it had no intention making changes to it.