This study (purchase required) is unusual in that it sought to investigate the seasonality of fraud over a 12-month period.
Samples were collected from three Peruvian coastal cities—Lima, Chiclayo, and Piura. A total of 1189 samples were collected from 76 retail points, including restaurants, supermarkets, and municipal markets. DNA barcode sequencing was used for species identification, revealing a 67.5 % substitution rate. Restaurants exhibited the highest substitution rate (73.8 %), followed by municipal markets (71.1 %) and supermarkets (27.9 %). Fraud was identified in 89.7 % of substitution cases, often involving high-demand or threatened species, such as hammerhead sharks Sphyrna zygaena and Atlantic eel Anguilla anguilla.
The authors report that seasonal patterns were observed, with certain species like dolphinfish Coryphaena hippurus and searobin Prionotus stephanophrys used more frequently at certain times of year.
Photo by Patrick Browne on Unsplash - for illustration, there is no suggestion that this dish is fraudulent
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