Yellowfin and bigeye tuna steaks and loins available nationwide – and possibly Europe and other markets – Three executives from global seafood companies said there was a growing likelihood of unlisted ingredients being added, including citric acid, beet extract and sodium.
Up to 60% of yellowfin tuna steaks exported from Vietnam are They’re infused with saline and soaked in a mixture of additives such as beet juice, paprika, and sodium ascorbate or ascorbic acid, then treated with carbon monoxide or flavorless or clear smoke.The process significantly improves the color of low-quality tuna and adds moisture to the product, potentially increasing its value by 15 to 20 percent, executives said.
“These practices are becoming more and more common, especially among companies that use lower quality ingredients like purse seine tuna,” Sea Delight president Cesar Bencosme told Seafood Source. “As far as we know, the use of these ingredients is not illegal; it just needs to be stated on the label, which in practice is not the case. We strongly encourage end users to add sodium, nitrates and citric acid to their internal testing protocols for tuna products.”
Bencosme said Sea Delight, a major importer of frozen and fresh tuna based in Coral Springs, Florida, had raised the issue publicly because of its obligation to be transparent.
“Some of the smaller importers may not even know they’re buying tuna that’s been treated with citric acid because they don’t have the means to go overseas and get more information or find out what their suppliers are doing,” Bencosme said. “Transparency is key. If they’re going to do this, they should sell it as is.”
Seafarers, an importer based in Miami, Florida, has also spoken out about “deceptive methods” used to hide low-quality tuna “with a cocktail of chemicals and gassing”.
“It is crucial to distinguish between legitimate processing that preserves the authenticity of high-quality tuna and the alarming practice of working with substandard frozen tuna,” the company said in a statement. “Astonishingly, our team in Vietnam witnessed various suppliers engaging in the disturbing process of soaking thawed, poor-quality tuna in a mixture of sodium ascorbate, ascorbic acid, sodium tripolyphosphate (STPP) and baking soda. These additives play a vital role in increasing the weight of the tuna while maintaining the desired moisture level, resulting in a significant net weight gain of between 12% and 18%, depending on the processing facility.”
Additionally, Seafarers, one of the largest tuna importers in the United States, says colorants such as PROVIV 1200, which contains beet juice concentrate, salt and paprika oleoresin, are used to artificially enhance the appearance of lower-quality tuna fillets, misleading consumers into thinking they are purchasing a premium product.
“The impact of these practices is dire – despite a 41% decline in tuna exports to the US in the first nine months of 2023, these mislabelled products are flooding the market, confusing prices and misleading consumers about the actual quality of the tuna they are buying,” Seafarers said.
Seafarers chairman Willy Roselle said the biggest concern about the products, which have become known as “vitamin tuna” because of their use of ascorbic acid, or vitamin C, is that the safety of these products and their suitability for human consumption remains in question.
“Consumers are not informed of what’s in their tuna. We don’t know what’s in it ourselves, and we have lab testing,” Rosell told Seafood Source. “People with allergies or who don’t want to consume extra salt are not informed that what they’re eating is tuna. Not only that, but it tastes very strange. I’m worried that it will give tuna a bad reputation in the market.”
Sea Delight said Vitamin Tuna is mainly exported by Vietnamese processors, who estimate that more than 25 percent of Vietnam’s yellowfin tuna exports undergo this process. Exporters in Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia are also starting to adopt the method, as the added moisture “easily adds 15 to 20 percent extra value per case,” Bencosme said.
“If you buy something for $4.50 [EUR 4.18]My competitors who buy Vitamin Tuna are likely paying $0.50 to $0.60. [EUR 0.46 to EUR 0.56] “The price is less for the same shave cut,” he says.
Rosell said tests conducted by Seafarers on samples of Vitamin Tuna showed that 16 to 18 percent of its total weight was made up of water and other additives.
“They’re pricing companies that are doing the right thing out of the market,” he said. “Plus they’re using really bad quality tuna. It’s very dark in color, like it’s been in a bad cooler on a boat for 20 days.”
Rosell said vitamin-enriched tuna started to penetrate the market about 12 to 14 months ago, and since then, the price of frozen Vietnamese yellowfin tuna loins and steaks has fallen to about $2.50. [EUR 2.32] But the sailors refused to accept the vitamin-enriched tuna, for which they paid $4 to $5 a pound. [EUR 3.72 to EUR 4.65] Per pound.
“I am worried for the company as customers are seeing tuna at a much lower price than what we are offering. In the end, we will lose business because of this,” he said.
Senior executives at Vietnam’s tuna exporters are also worried about the future of their businesses. Yen Nguyen, overseas manager of Hong Ngoc Seafood, said the process was developed about five years ago.
“There was something different about the tuna, it tasted and smelled different. The color was fine, but the flavor and texture were off,” she said. “It was clear something bad was going on, but I didn’t want to say anything until I had tests to prove it. [it]. “
The company conducted extensive testing over a three-year period, posing as European buyers and inquiring about other Vietnamese tuna exporters about their processing methods. Over the course of three years, Hong Ngoc identified most of the additives and discovered through experimentation that a combination of citric acid, beet juice and CO2 treatment (legal in the US if labelled, but illegal to sell in Europe) could give even low-quality tuna a vibrant red colour.
Nguyen estimates that 60 percent of tuna exported from Vietnam and other countries is now treated with vitamins.
“Most importers just don’t know about the problem,” she says, “but now many are ignoring it. It’s widespread and word is out, so they should know.” [about it]. “
Nguyen said nearly all tuna exporters have embraced the process, some reluctantly, because it’s necessary to stay competitive.
“Of course, businesses want and need to make a profit, so they will comply with customer demands,” she said. “We will take the harder path. [of not doing it]”It helps me sleep better at night, but it makes things really difficult for the company. I’m worried that the whole tuna industry is heading in this bad direction.”
Nguyen said he had contacted the U.S. FDA.
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