Watch what you eat, it might not be what you think it is.
Watch what you eat, it might not be what you think it is.
Restaurants Accused Of Mislabeling Cheaper Ingredients As Pricier Fish
MIAMI -- The Miami Police Cafeteria is one of several South Florida restaurants cited for allegedly misrepresenting what they serve to the public.
The operators of the cafeteria on the third floor of the police department were fined $750 by the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation. An inspector noted the cafeteria serving a cheaper and lower quality fish called basa and passing it off as grouper.
From July to September 2008, 52 restaurants statewide, most here in South Florida, have been cited for misrepresentation.
Was it a mistake or bait and switch? The price differences are drastic.
At Sushi Thai in Deerfield Beach, a restaurant worker admitted to a state inspector that they were using tilapia and passing it off as red snapper because, "They are the same kind of fish," Local 10's Jeff Weinsier reported.
Mike Montella of Mr. Fish gourmet seafood in Pompano Beach said that is not true.
"It doesn’t taste nearly as good as snapper, and I’m surprised any restaurant would do that knowingly," Montella said.
At the Delaware Chicken Farm and Seafood Market, grouper is $12.95 per pound. At Mr. Fish, red snapper is $17.95 per pound.
Tilapia, basa and Asian catfish, which also is used as a substitute, are between $2 and $5 a pound.
Mislabeling seafood is against the law, and the state recently doubled the fines. In some cases, the cheaper basa are raised in the polluted waters of the Mekong River in Southeast Asia.
Experts told Local 10 that in most cases, cooked fish looks the same, making it difficult for you to really know what’s actually on your plate.
Click here for a list of restaurants that have been cited recently.
