ABSTRACT
Food fraud occurs when a food product is illegally sold with the intention of misleading consumers, usually for economical gain. Food crime consists of any criminal activity that affects safety or authenticity of food; which can include product mislabelling, species substitution, misbranding, counterfeiting, dilution and adulteration. Seafood sample data was compiled from various studies done in Canada that reported seafood mislabelling over the past decade from 2008 to 2019. Product substitution can occur when the species on the fish list that is identified based on the label (common) market name does not match the BOLD identified species (j). Product substitution occurs due to various reasons such as a high demand for a limited supply, a greater profit margin, a growth in international trade of processed seafood, lack of strict seafood labelling and naming regulations, etc. Retailers and consumers are also exposed to health and environmental risks.
