Widespread mislabeling of seafood products means consumers cannot accurately assess welfare implications of their choices, undermining efforts to reward better welfare practices through purchasing.
Seafood mislabeling creates a fundamental problem for welfare-conscious seafood purchasing. When consumers paying premium prices for certified sustainable or welfare-positive seafood receive substitute products, their purchasing signals are ineffective. The market mechanism that should reward welfare improvements fails. Beyond this market failure, mislabeling represents direct consumer fraud that reduces trust in all seafood labeling — including legitimate certifications. Stronger enforcement, mandatory DNA testing requirements, and better traceability systems would address both the welfare and consumer fraud dimensions of the problem. Technology solutions including blockchain traceability are being piloted in some supply chains.