Fish substitution - trader convicted.Hua Zheng - Thornlie Square Fish & Chips
Issue Date: - Friday, 30 November 2007
Selling a piece of fish as Dhufish when it was actually the inferior and cheaper catfish Basa has cost Hua Zheng of Thornlie Square Fish and Chips a conviction and over $3,000 in fines and court costs.
On the day of the trial, Mr. Zheng changed his plea from not guilty to guilty of making a false and misleading representation about the composition of fish, which was a breach of the Fair Trading Act.
He admitted in Court that he had been reckless in supplying the wrong fish and the incident was not an isolated one.
“Earlier this year following a complaint, we undertook a test purchase of the same fish type the complainant had purchased, and through DNA testing discovered that the fish that had been sold to us as Dhufish, was the poorer quality fish Basa,” Consumer Protection Commissioner Patrick Walker said.
“Basa is a type of bearded deep water catfish, which is native to the Mekong River delta.
“This is not the first case of fish substitution we have seen in Perth and in addition to acting on complaints from consumers who suspect that they have not received what they paid for, we also conduct random surveys of restaurants, cafes, fish suppliers and other outlets.
“The message to traders is don’t risk it. Do not put your reputation and livelihood on the line for a quick profit. We are out there and any samples found to be anything other that what they are meant to be will see traders prosecuted,” Mr. Walker said.
Penalties for fish substitution draw fines of up to $6,000 for individuals and $30,000 for companies.