Cancun, Quintana Roo, (March 18, 2021).- According to the documentation carried out by the Oceana organization, 29 percent of the fish markets and restaurants in Cancun offer products of certain species of fish, but in reality, they deliver another similar species but usually cheaper. Tilapia instead of Robalo; Baza instead of Mero, this is happening in almost a third of the monitored establishments in the city,
In the first report, Oceana highlighted that Cancun is an international tourist destination and, for many travelers, it is the most expensive city in Mexico.
106 samples of fish were taken in Cancun. Compared to other cities, it is where the lowest percentage of species substitution was found, but it is where the “greatest open fraud” was found, since select fish species were exchanged for pond fish, such as Baza -a low quality- imported fish from Asia.
“Today, as consumers, we cannot know with certainty what kind of fish we are eating, due to a worrying phenomenon known as “species substitution”. This implies that consumers are deceived when buying fish since they are actually paying for a certain species with a commercial name, but in reality, the product they receive is totally different fish species, in many cases of a lower price, quality, and nutritional value ”, explains the NGO international.
According to the report, a large number of restaurants are carrying out this type of practice, followed by fish markets.
However, Oceana report they found that this also happens in supermarkets, although only in 14 percent of the establishments visited.
According to the report, this deceptive practice affects consumers in their pockets, the health of our seas, and the work of local fishermen.
“As long as there is no traceability policy in Mexico, people will continue to be deceived,” concludes Oceana.
This phenomenon is more prevalent in coastal areas, but it has also been identified here in Mérida, Yucatan.
Source: Sipse
