EU consumers pay €200 million ($167.7 million) a year for low-quality tuna sold as premium by producers who treat the product to enhance its appearance and sell it as fresh, the European Commission warned in a document sent to the industry.
Producers across Europe are illegally adding vegetable extracts containing high concentrations of nitrites as coloring to enhance the attributes of the fish and its appearance and sell the low-value fish at premium prices.
“Financial gain is clearly the motive,” reads the document signed by Philippe Loopuyt, head of the EU directorate-general for health and food safety.
Nitrites
