A meta-analysis of seafood species mislabeling in the United States

Seafood is vulnerable to mislabeling due to complex global supply chains, varying prices, and the similar appearance of species. While numerous studies have been published on seafood mislabeling, the focus is often on species known to be commonly substituted. Therefore, the overall mislabeling rates of seafood sold in the U.S. remain unknown, especially for the most consumed species. The objective of the current study was to compile the results of seafood mislabeling studies into a single resource to provide informative statistics on U.S. seafood mislabeling. A meta-analysis was conducted on U.S. seafood mislabeling studies that tested commercial samples of bony fish (Osteichthyes) and shellfish from 2010 to 2023. A total of 35 studies, including 4179 samples from 32 U.S. states, were analyzed. The overall mislabeling rate was 39.1%, with the majority (60.9%) of samples correctly labeled. Species substitution was observed in 26.2% of samples, followed by unacceptable market names (17.1%) and conflicting market names (1.1%). The sum of the rates for individual mislabeling categories is greater than the overall rate because some samples were assigned to multiple categories. The top 10 consumed seafoods reported by the National Fisheries Institute for 2021 had a mislabeling rate of 31.0%, compared to 53.0% for the most frequently investigated species. The species substitution rate for the top 10 consumed seafoods was 13.9%, compared to 42.5% for frequently investigated species. The results of this investigation provide comprehensive information on seafood mislabeling in the U.S., with the potential to influence policy decisions and inform outreach efforts. • This meta-analysis of U.S. seafood studies revealed a mislabeling rate of 39.1%. • The leading form of mislabeling was species substitution (26.2%). • Unacceptable market names were observed in 17.1% of samples. • The top 10 consumed seafoods had a relatively low substitution rate (13.9%). • The most frequently investigated species had a substitution rate of 42.5%.