A SEAFOOD company in the United States has been fined more than £180,000 after it was caught selling customers fake Scottish salmon.
Texas-based Seafood Supply Company (SSC) admitted it conned customers into believing they had bought salmon from Scotland, when in fact it was lower-priced fish imported from Chile.
The US wholesaler is believed to have made £150,000 by falsely labelling products as Scottish, as well as from Norway and Canada, over two years between 2020 and 2022.
SSC has supplied seafood to restaurants, hotels, country clubs and grocery stores for more than 50 years.
The US government’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration started investigating the Dallas-based SSC following concerns raised over its products.
Bosses at SSC admitted two felony charges of false labelling at the Texas Northern District Court in March.
The company has now been fined $250,000 (£187,000) and has been placed on probation for three years.
It was also ordered to implement an environmental compliance plan, while also introducing compliance training for staff and having its records scrutinised by outside counsel or consultants every three months.
A spokesperson for the US Department of Justice said: “Seafood Supply Co, a Dallas seafood wholesaler, was sentenced to pay a $250,000 fine for violating two counts of the Lacey Act.
“Seafood Supply falsified the country of origin of salmon sold from January 2020 to February 2022. The company would designate Chilean salmon as salmon from Scotland or other European countries. Typically, the Chilean salmon was less expensive than product from Scotland.
“In addition to the fine, Seafood Supply was placed on probation for three years and ordered to implement an environmental compliance plan. The company previously pleaded guilty on March 4. Seafood Supply has been under new leadership since the time of the violations.
“The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration investigated the case as part of Operation Upstream Diligence.”
Last year, Scottish salmon was handed protected status across the European Union in an attempt to stop counterfeiters and safeguard against its imitation.
Under the status, only salmon raised in the coastal region of mainland Scotland, the Western Isles, Orkney, and Shetland Isles can be sold as “Scottish salmon” in the EU.
At the time, the industry body Salmon Scotland said the change would have no impact on wild Scottish salmon as it is no longer commercially available for consumption.
