Some overseas suppliers of frozen fish are shortchanging consumers by including ice when they calculate the weight of their products, government inspectors have found.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has issued a warning to the industry, flagging this "fraudulent practice" involving frozen fish shipped in bulk containers and destined for Canadian stores and restaurants.
"CFIA inspection activities have determined that the weight of some imported frozen fish products include glaze [ice] as part of the declared net weight. This practice is unacceptable and in contravention of the Fish Inspection Regulations and the Consumer Packaging and Labelling Regulations," the industry notice states.
The border inspections began in mid-2009 after the agency fielded a trade complaint regarding unfair practices of some fish distributors. CFIA said Thursday it had accumulated enough evidence to issue the November notice to importers, which was sent to major suppliers overseas.
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