Chinese Kimchi Falsely Labeled as Domestic Product
A number of businesses in Jeju have been caught for falsely labeling the origin of seafood products, including selling Okduo as the high-end species tilefish.
15 Businesses Caught for Falsely Labeling Origin
Photos show tilefish (top) and tilefish spinyhead and southern tilefish (second). Tilefish has silvery-white triangular spots under the eyes and irregular yellow vertical stripes in the center of the body. Photo by Yonhap News Agency
According to Yonhap News on February 27, the Jeju Autonomous Police Agency announced that it had conducted a special crackdown before and after the Lunar New Year holiday to ensure food safety and establish order in the distribution of agricultural, marine, and livestock products. As a result, a total of 15 violations were detected, including false labeling of origin. The violations included 10 cases related to origin labeling (6 cases of false labeling and 4 cases of no labeling), 1 case of food labeling and advertising violation, and 4 cases of failure to comply with business requirements.
Two restaurants in the province falsely labeled and sold Okduo, a species similar in appearance to tilefish, as the high-priced “tilefish.” Another two restaurants were caught storing products past their expiration date for cooking purposes. Some businesses falsely labeled Philippine octopus, Chinese kimchi, chili powder, and canola flower wine ingredients as domestic products. The Autonomous Police Agency has referred 11 serious cases, including false labeling of origin, to the prosecution, and has notified the local administration to impose fines for the remaining 4 cases of missing labeling.
Similar Appearance of Okduo and Tilefish Causes Consumer Confusion
Tilefish species such as Okduo, tilefish, and southern tilefish all belong to the family Branchiostegidae and look similar in appearance, but there are distinguishing characteristics. Tilefish has a silvery white triangular spot under its eye and irregular yellow vertical stripes across the middle of its body. Its dorsal fin is orange, and its tail fin is pale yellow with 5 to 6 yellow horizontal stripes.
In contrast, Okduo and southern tilefish do not have the silvery white triangular marking under the eye. Okduo has fins that are black or gray, while southern tilefish can be identified by its yellow fins with black spots. Most products sold on the market as “black tilefish” or “white tilefish” are actually Okduo. There is also a significant price difference; generally, tilefish is known to be about four times more expensive than Okduo.
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