Imported fish and shrimp fillets have an excess of frozen water that increases their cost and disguises their real weight, according to civil organizations such as Oceana and Comeesca, which are proposing an Official Standard to regularize this situation.
Oceana conducted a study in 2020 with 82 samples of frozen fish and shrimp in supermarkets in Mexico City, where eight out of 10 imported products had excessive icing, according to the results.
In the case of shrimp, more than 70% of this imported product exceeded the acceptable glaze limit (more than 12%), while 80% of domestic frozen shrimp had a glaze percentage of less than 10%.
Glazed fish in the process of thawing. Source: Oceana.
For 2024, they updated the study with the collection of 61 samples of fish and 38 of frozen shrimp in supermarkets and fishmongers in Mexico City. They found that 43% of the products contained excessive icing.
“We found that imported fish and shrimp fillets have excess frozen water that disguises their real weight and cost. Products that come mostly from China are glazed up to 60% of their total weight,” said Esteban García-Peña, research and public policy coordinator at Oceana's Mexico office.
The civil organization identified in 2024 that, unlike the frozen fillet of Mexican tilapia, which had an average of 16.3% glaze, the one imported from China reached 60.3%. For a Mexican steak, the consumer pays 18 pesos corresponding to frozen water, while for imported steak he pays 41 pesos. In this way, although imported products seem cheaper, they are the ones that contain the most ice.
Excessive glazing is common because, although there is the United Nations Codex Alimentarius that establishes recommended guidelines to follow for frozen fish fillets, there are no national regulations in Mexico that enforce them.
“Glazing is something that is needed to protect the product, but since in Mexico we don't have a regulation that regulates it, there are companies that are abusing it and so they put a much higher percentage into it than recommended,” said Iván Gómez, in charge of commercial relations in the organization Comeesca.
An Official Mexican Standard (NOM) could establish standards for the packaging, freezing and price of imported products. However, even without an NOM, the Federal Consumer Attorney's Office (Profeco) can take action on behalf of consumers.
“Profeco could issue recommendations because they are responsible for monitoring and evaluations to determine if any company or marketer is engaging in fraud or has bad practices,” Gómez said.
In addition to affecting consumers who pay for water for fish and seafood, excessive glazing affects Mexican producers who cannot compete against the prices of products imported from Asia.
Another alternative to solve this problem is the implementation of labels on fillets and shrimp indicating the net content and the content of drained mass, corresponding to the product after removing the liquid, as already implemented in tuna cans so that consumers make an informed purchase.
“The consumer has the right to know what they are buying. Thus, the labels can warn that the product contains a percentage of water through the glaze and a percentage of drained mass. But if you don't give that information, then people are being deceived,” García-Peña said.
At first glance, consumers can identify the glaze ratio of a product, however, to ensure that it is not excessive, Gómez recommends consuming domestic products that rarely exceed 12% of icing or products with ASC or BAP certification that, in addition to ensuring the sustainability of the product, also include its quality according to criteria such as the icing ratio.
“The certifications guarantee that it is a harmless product, that it will have the least impact on the environment and that it is also a quality product,” said Gómez.
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