Mismanagement and poor transparency in the European processed seafood supply revealed by DNA metabarcoding

In the global processed seafood industry, disparate actors play different roles along the supply chain, creating multiple opportunities for mistakes, malpractice, and fraud. As a consequence, consumers may be exposed to non-authentic products, which hinder informed purchasing decisions and broader efforts to improve trade transparency and sustainability. Here, we characterised the taxonomic composition of 62 processed seafood products in Italian, British and Albanian retailers, purposefully obtained from different supply routes, using multiple DNA metabarcoding markers. By combining molecular results with metadata reported on labels, we revealed patterns of mislabelling in 24 products (39%) across sampling regions, denoting lack of transparency of processed seafood products based on resources sourced from either Europe or globally. We show that the accuracy of label claims and the mis-represented and underestimated levels of traded biodiversity are largely determined by the management of raw material by global processors. Our study shows that DNA metabarcoding is a powerful and novel authentication tool that is mature for application at different stages of the seafood supply chain to protect consumers and improve the sustainable management of fish stocks.