Something Fishy: Coppers in Spain’s Costa Blanca Seize Fish with Counterfeit Labels For Origin and Expiration

Something's Fishy: 12 Tonnes of Fish Withdrawn From Supermarkets Credit: Guardia Civil

COPPERS in Spain’s Costa Blanca have seized 12 tons of rotting fish with unsettling labels which were ready to be sold to the public. This pre-sold fish had counterfeit labels outlining their origin and expiration date.
For example, the fish was originally Turkish sea bream and sea bass, however, the labels specifically said the fish was from Spain and that the expiration date was much later than it truly was. Due to this dangerous behaviour, Seprona is investigating three men and an additional individual in the province of Alicante on Costa Blanca.
The men are under investigation for committing crimes against public health, false documentation, and crimes against the market and consumers. All seizures of these goods took place in a warehouse and three supermarkets.
Thanks to this investigation, the Seprona branch of the Guardia Civil has been able to seize 11,500 kilos of sea bream and sea bass due to their alleged irregularities in origin and expiration. The fish for sale in the refrigerators and counters also had an unsettling eye and gill colour which made it clear that it was far from the expiration date provided on the labels.
Due to the serious risk that the consumption of these products can pose on the public’s health, the food safety inspectors decided to withdraw the lot. The Guardia Civil withdrew and destroyed 12 tons of the fish products from the market. The alleged perpetrators of this fish fraud are three Spanish men and a company who distributed the product.
 

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Laura Taylor

Laura Taylor is a graduate from the University of Leeds. At university, she obtained a Bachelors in Communication and Media, as well as a Masters in International Relations.
She is half British and half Spanish and resides in Malaga. Her focus when writing news typically encompasses national Spanish news and local news from the Costa del Sol.

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