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Date: April 29, 2024 Mon
Time: 9:35 pm
Time: 9:35 pm
Results for illegal practices
4 results foundAuthor: Warner, Kimberly Title: Oceana Study Reveals Seafood Fraud Nationwide Summary: Americans are routinely urged to include more seafood in their diets as part of a healthy lifestyle. Yet consumers are often given inadequate, confusing or misleading information about the seafood they purchase. The dishonest and illegal practice of substituting one seafood species for another, or seafood fraud, has been uncovered both in the United States and abroad at levels ranging from 25 to more than 70 percent for commonly swapped species such as red snapper, wild salmon and Atlantic cod. From 2010 to 2012, Oceana conducted one of the largest seafood fraud investigations in the world to date, collecting more than 1,200 seafood samples from 674 retail outlets in 21 states to determine if they were honestly labeled. DNA testing found that one-third (33 percent) of the 1,215 samples analyzed nationwide were mislabeled, according to U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) guidelines. Of the most commonly collected fish types, samples sold as snapper and tuna had the highest mislabeling rates (87 and 59 percent, respectively), with the majority of the samples identified by DNA analysis as something other than what was found on the label. In fact, only seven of the 120 samples of red snapper purchased nationwide were actually red snapper. The other 113 samples were another fish. Halibut, grouper, cod and Chilean seabass were also mislabeled between 19 and 38 percent of the time, while salmon was mislabeled 7 percent of the time. Forty-four percent of all the retail outlets visited sold mislabeled fish. Restaurants, grocery stores and sushi venues all sold mislabeled fish and chances of being swindled varied greatly depending on where the seafood was purchased. Our study identified strong national trends in seafood mislabeling levels among retail types, with sushi venues ranking the highest (74 percent), followed by restaurants (38 percent) and then grocery stores (18 percent). These same trends among retail outlets were generally observed at the regional level. Seafood substitutions included species carrying health advisories (e.g. king mackerel sold as grouper; escolar sold as white tuna), cheaper farmed fish sold as wild (e.g. tilapia sold as red snapper), and overfished, imperiled or vulnerable species sold as more sustainable catch (e.g. Atlantic halibut sold as Pacific halibut). Our testing also turned up species not included among the more than 1,700 seafood species the federal government recognizes as sold or likely to be sold in the U.S. As our results demonstrate, a high level of mislabeling nationwide indicates that seafood fraud harms not only the consumer’s pocket book, but also every honest vendor or fisherman along the supply chain. These fraudulent practices also carry potentially serious concerns for the health of consumers, and for the health of our oceans and vulnerable fish populations. Because our study was restricted to seafood sold in retail outlets, we cannot say exactly where the fraudulent activity occurred. The global seafood supply chain is increasingly complex and obscure. With lagging federal oversight and minimal government inspection despite rising fish imports, and without sampling along the supply chain, it is difficult to determine if fraud is occurring at the boat, during processing, at the wholesale level, at the retail counter or somewhere else along the way. Our findings demonstrate that a comprehensive and transparent traceability system – one that tracks fish from boat to plate – must be established at the national level. At the same time, increased inspection and testing of our seafood, specifically for mislabeling, and stronger federal and state enforcement of existing laws combatting fraud are needed to reverse these disturbing trends. Our government has a responsibility to provide more information about the fish sold in the U.S., as seafood fraud harms not only consumers’ wallets, but also every honest vendor and fisherman cheated in the process--to say nothing of the health of our oceans. Details: Washington, DC: Oceana, 2013. 69p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 26, 2013 at: http://oceana.org/sites/default/files/reports/National_Seafood_Fraud_Testing_Results_FINAL.pdf Year: 2013 Country: United States URL: http://oceana.org/sites/default/files/reports/National_Seafood_Fraud_Testing_Results_FINAL.pdf Shelf Number: 127714 Keywords: Consumer FraudFishingIllegal PracticesSeafood Fraud |
Author: Crates, Emma Title: Building a Fairer System: Tackling Modern Slavery in Construction Supply Chains Summary: The Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) is calling for greater industry collaboration to eradicate unfair labour practices. Clients and tier one organisations need to take greater responsibility for their supply chains. Priority should be given to tackling illegal recruitment fees, according to a new report Building a fairer system: tackling modern slavery in construction supply chains, launched today (Wednesday 13 July). The report, produced in consultation with a number of businesses and NGOs, including Amnesty International, Verite, Engineers Against Poverty and the Institute for Human Rights and Business, examines the root causes of slavery, and sets out priority actions for moving the industry towards greater transparency. Slavery remains a problem hidden in many sectors. The International Labour Organization estimates that there are 21 million people in forced labour around the world, generating profits in the private economy of $150 billion. Interpol estimates that only 5 to 10 per cent of cases are ever reported. With its fragmented supply chains, opaque procurement processes and high demand for migrant labour, the construction sector faces a unique set of challenges in tackling human rights abuses. It is a priority area for the UK's first Anti-Slavery Commissioner, Kevin Hyland OBE, who writes a foreword for the report. Building a fairer system examines how workers from developing countries become tricked or coerced into paying illegal and extortionate recruitment fees, and, once in debt, become vulnerable to exploitation in their place of work. Abuses range from forced or bonded labour, late payment, unsanitary living conditions, unfair deductions from wages, withheld passports and loss of freedom of movement, lack of representation, violence, intimidation and physical abuse. The report also examines how faults in the procurement process allow exploitative practices to remain hidden in building materials supply chains. It includes a series of case studies and recommendations from organisations that are working to shift cultural practices and norms: How ethical recruitment firm FSI Worldwide‘s integrated cross-border operations are eradicating illegal recruitment fees The steps that CH2M has taken to implement a new global worker welfare policy Hewlett Packard’s move to direct labour Qatar Rail’s worker welfare strategy Marshalls’ ten-year initiative to protect vulnerable children and migrant workers in stone quarrying communities Bechtel’s "bottom up" approach to tackle exploitation in metal mining. Details: Bracknell, UK:Chartered Institute of Building, 2016. 31p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed November 10, 2016 at: https://policy.ciob.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/CIOB_Modern_Day_Slavery_WEB.pdf Year: 2016 Country: United Kingdom URL: https://policy.ciob.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/CIOB_Modern_Day_Slavery_WEB.pdf Shelf Number: 146971 Keywords: Construction IndustryIllegal PracticesLabor PracticesMigrant WorkersModern SlaverySupply Chains |
Author: Kroetz, Kailin Title: Examining Seafood Fraud Through the Lens of Production and Trade: How Much Mislabeled Seafood do Consumers Buy? Summary: Key findings -- Due to the globalized nature and complexity of seafood markets, unraveling the causes and consequences of seafood mislabeling will require novel approaches with multiple types of data. Mislabeling rates can be integrated with import and production data to produce estimates of apparent consumption of mislabeled seafood. Estimating apparent consumption of mislabeled products, however, is currently limited by the quality of consumption and mislabeling data, of which the latter is particularly problematic and challenging. More coordinated and targeted research is needed in order to understand to seafood mislabeling and its potential impacts. Details: Washington, DC: Resources for the Future, 2018. 29p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed April 18, 2019 at: https://www.rff.org/publications/reports/examining-seafood-fraud-through-the-lens-of-production-and-trade-how-much-mislabeled-seafood-do-consumers-buy/ Year: 2018 Country: International URL: https://www.rff.org/publications/reports/examining-seafood-fraud-through-the-lens-of-production-and-trade-how-much-mislabeled-seafood-do-consumers-buy/ Shelf Number: 155455 Keywords: Consumer FraudFishing IndustryIllegal PracticesSeafood Fraud |
Author: Levin, Julia Title: Mystery Fish: Seafood Fraud in Canada and How to Stop It Summary: A report released today from Oceana Canada, Mystery Fish: Seafood Fraud in Canada and How to Stop It, addresses the issue of seafood fraud-including the motives behind it and the consequences to our health, wallets and oceans—as well as concrete recommendations for the Canadian government. Seafood fraud, which is any activity that misrepresents the product being purchased, is a long-standing global problem. An increasing amount of seafood is being shipped to Canada from overseas, with estimates suggesting that up to 80 per cent of what is consumed in Canada may be imported. This seafood follows a complex path from a fishing vessel to our plate, with a risk of fraud and mislabelling at each step along the way. Details: Toronto: Oceana, 2017. 32p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed April 18, 2019 at: https://www.oceana.ca/en/publications/reports/mystery-fish-seafood-fraud-canada-and-how-stop-it Year: 2017 Country: Canada URL: https://www.oceana.ca/en/publications/reports/mystery-fish-seafood-fraud-canada-and-how-stop-it Shelf Number: 155458 Keywords: Consumer Fraud Fishing Industry Food Fraud Illegal PracticesSeafood Fraud |