Short communicationMislabeling of an “unlabelable” seafood sold on the European market: The jellyfish

The jellyfish is a popular seafood in South-East Asia. It can also be found throughout Europe in many Chinese shops, which despite being well-organized from a commercial perspective, often disregard rules on product traceability. Therefore because jellyfish has still not been officially defined by the European Legislation on Food Hygiene, we performed a survey on fifty-six jellyfish products sold on the Italian market. This was done by assessing label compliance with European law and with the new Chinese Food Safety Law of 2009. Our survey found many incongruences and shortfalls including the presence of a trade name referring to vegetables or a lack of an unequivocal specification of ingredients. Focus is therefore needed on the possible hazards associated with the consumption of jellyfish products. In addition, regulations need adjusting in order to create more transparent marketing and sales practices.

► We performed a survey on labeling of jellyfish sold on the Italian market. ► The 100% of labels were characterized by incongruences or deficiencies. ► Processing and ingredients of jellyfish products are not always well-defined. ► Jellyfish products could hide health hazards for consumers. ► A fair market and efficient controls require an official denomination for jellyfish.