Current methods for seafood authenticity testing in Europe: Is there a need for harmonisation?

Mislabelling of food products has recently received a great deal of public scrutiny, but it remains unclear exactly what methods are being utilised in laboratories testing the authenticity of foods. In order to gain insight into the specific area of the analysis of seafood, a questionnaire focussing on the taxonomic groups typically analysed and the techniques utilised was sent to over one hundred accredited laboratories across the UK, Ireland, Spain, Portugal, France and Germany. Forty-five responded positively, demonstrating significant differences in both the species analysed and methods utilised among the countries included in the survey. Indeed, a diversity of methods was employed across laboratories and efforts to harmonise and/or standardise testing were evident only at national scale. This contrasts with the EU wide scale of regulation on seafood labelling, and may lead to inconsistencies in the results produced in countries.