Supermarket fish tested

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- You asked for it; you got it.

After WCNC tested fish two months ago to see if you’re getting what you pay for in local seafood restaurants, dozens of viewers e-mailed us to ask us to test fish in supermarkets and grocery stores as well.

So we did.

The WCNC fish test is back.

In May, we tested grouper and snapper in restaurants.

We found six out of 10 times, we didn't get what we ordered but a cheaper fish instead.

We took a hidden camera to grocery stores and went shopping to see if you're getting what you pay for.

Our objective: the seafood counter.

On our shopping list - grouper and snapper - species for which we found lots of substitution in restaurants.

And just like our restaurant test, our selections ran from mom-and-pops to big chains.

We bought fish at Bi-Lo, Bloom, Compare Foods, Fresh Market, Harris Teeter, the Home Economist, Reids Fine Foods and Whole Foods.

To conduct our tests, we bought filets, iced them down and shipped them to Nova Southeastern University where we paid for them to be DNA tested.

When we tested restaurants, we found cheaper imports like Asian catfish and tilapia substituted for more expensive wild fish like grouper and snapper.

There are several key differences in distribution and regulation between restaurant fish and supermarket fish.

First, restaurants are not required to list the country of origin on the menu. But grocers are -- federal law requires it.

“We need to tell the consumer how the fish is caught and where it's caught,” says Paul Crowson, seafood marketing manager for all Bi-Lo and Bruno’s supermarkets.

Fish in the Bi-Lo seafood section bears labels from Chile, Indonesia, Ecuador and “product of the USA.”

A second key difference between restaurants and supermarkets: No one routinely inspects restaurant kitchens to see where the food comes from.

But state agriculture inspectors do look at labels in supermarkets.

"North Carolina law mandates that fish sold here have a label stating where the fish comes from,” says Oscar Sosa, seafood manager at Compare Foods on Arrowood. “If that's not there, we could be fined."

The lab's DNA tests found this time, in every single case, the fish was indeed as advertised.

The grouper was grouper.

The snapper was snapper.

Most grocers told us they carefully examine shipments from suppliers.

“We have our own terms with suppliers,” says Paul Crowson of Bi-Lo. “They know our specs; they respect our specs.”

A Harris Teeter spokeswoman told us they require letters of guarantee from all suppliers.

So why did groceries so significantly outperform restaurants?

One reason might be those additional regulations.

“The facilities are subject to inspection,” says Joe Reardon, Director of the Food and Drug Protection Division. “Hopefully some of the regulatory oversight is having an impact.”

Within weeks of our first fish tests, the state began its own testing in supermarkets.

And they did find some problems.

Inspectors sampled Asian fish from supermarkets across the state.

Tests of silver barb fish sampled at the Southeastern Oriental Market in Morganton revealed an antibiotic banned in the United States.

The result: the Chicago-based importer voluntarily recalled the fish from across the state.

The state continues to sample and test imported fish from supermarkets large and small in all regions of the state.