Saltfish producers in Iceland have long suspected that some of the saltfish for sale in Spain and Portugal is falsely branded as being from Iceland. An investigation has shown that worrying proportion of Icelandic-branded saltfish turns out to be from the Barents Sea.
There has long been a price edge for Icelandic saltfish on the southern European market where saltfish is a traditional dish. Saltfish from Iceland has generally had a price niche of its own, higher than for saltfish from other regions.
Suspicion of widespread false branding of saltfish products has been investigated by research agency Matís, which processed samples of bacalao on sale in Barcelona, Bilbao, Porto, Lisbon and Aveiro. All of the samples were branded as being from specifically Iceland, or there was an asurance from the seller that this was the case.
Of the 226 samples from fish markets, supermarkets and delicatessens, genetic profiling of these supposedly Icelandic products showed that 44 (16.5%) were in fact Barents Sea cod.
‘This is a commercially important issue for Icelandic saltfish producers,’ a Matís representative commented.
‘The strong reputation of Icelandic saltfish and the competitive advantage that Icelandic producers have is being abused. There is also a concern that Barents Sea cod sold as Icelandic could damage the image of this product, as the quality is simply not comparable.’
