Posted on 08/22/2018 2:42:22 PM PDT by glorgau
After reports emerged that fish sellers were labeling rainbow trout as salmon, the Chinese government made a startling announcement.
According to the New York Times, Chinese regulators announced this week that, far from cracking down on mislabeled fish, rainbow trout can legally be labeled as salmon.
Incorrectly labeled fish—whether accidentally or intentionally—is a worldwide issue. Reports have indicated that much of the world’s fish is mislabeled; the advocacy group Oceana ran a test and found that one in five fish samples were mislabeled worldwide. Sometimes these are understandable: can you really tell the difference between red snapper and red sea bream? Other times, these are way off, and can be a major problem for consumers who want to eat ethically—or simply know what they’re eating. Trout and salmon are part of a wide-ranging family of fish called salmonids, which also includes char, grayling, and some whitefish species. They all look sort of similar—they’re primitive-looking fish with sharp teeth—but vary dramatically in size, distribution, and sustainability. Some are freshwater, some saltwater. Some live in the Atlantic, some in the Pacific, some in various lakes and rivers.
The rainbow trout, like the char, has a pale orange to pink flesh. It is not as dark as the flesh of most salmon species, nor as fatty, but it’s similar enough. But it is not the same; rainbow trout are freshwater and salmon are saltwater fish, which means they’re raised (if farmed) entirely differently and have totally different environmental and health concerns. Freshwater fish is more prone to parasites; it is generally not recommended that freshwater fish is eaten raw.
Following the reports of rainbow trout being sold as salmon, Chinese regulators officially declared that the two species are similar enough that they can be sold under the name “salmon.” According to the Global Times, the government’s argument is lexical: they say that, since both species belong to the salmonid family, they can be labeled as “salmon.” In other words, the word “salmon” is more like a shorthand for “the entire salmonid family of fish,” rather than the more widely understood meaning of “the nine species of Atlantic and Pacific fish that are actually called salmon.”
The New York Times says that the Chinese government is mandating a light label to this effect, so trout might carry the label “salmon (rainbow trout).” Presumably, salmon could have the label “salmon (salmon).”
Men can be women. Trout can be Salmon. What’s the big deal? Maybe Ayn should have said A is B.
Well, if the trout really believes it’s a salmon...
And we can stop with the “imitation” crab. If I say it’s crab, it’s crab.
I’m sure I can tell the difference between trout and sockeye salmon just fine.
Well, some trout are of the salmonid family. Some are of the Char family.
Mike Trout?
Well, if it self-identifies as a salmon it’s okay..............
In an early computer science class I took, someone in the class couldn't get something to compile. The teacher pointed out a spelling error in her code.
The student said 'but shouldn't it know what I mean?'
Not entirely true. Steelhead trout are rainbows that, like salmon, go out to sea and return to freshwater to spawn.
Where's the label on a fish? Maybe if they made the ink waterproof ...
Typical.
I love the compiler errors nowadays. “You need a semicolon here.” “You did not spell this correctly.” I wonder sometimes why it does not just fix it when it is that obvious. However, I then remember just how dumb compilers and computers actually are, and cringe at the possible damage.
I guess we should stop allowing fish imports from China.
“I’m sure I can tell the difference between trout and sockeye salmon just fine.”
Personally I think the trout smokes better.
It probably does.
I cook my salmon in an iron skillet with olive oil and soy sauce to very medium rare.
I don’t care for smoked salmon as much bc it’s generally kind of over cooked and dry.
Dog tastes just like Chicken
It has often struck me that the reason nobody can understand God is that God is a private buried in a base class of 'man.' It's effects are everywhere, obvious, undeniable, but if you try to access it explicitly, and you think all that exists is only what you can see, not gonna happen.
With practice though being a man, unlike software, (or maybe you can cast yourself as the baseclass) ... you can in fact kind of access it almost directly, or you use some of your protected and public methods that more directly affect it immediately, but not directly. God seems private and final in an ancestor class.
Alas I digress! Not all life is software.
Trying to never buy food sourced in China? That’s a challenge! Lots of stuff gets shipped to other countries for the different labeling. E.g., honey.
What about trouser trout?
Okay Obama but I doubt it. Not even in the same family of meats. Dog eaters should turn cannibal until they eat each other into extinction. You heard it here first. ;)
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.