Investigation Exposes Widespread Short-Weighting in Frozen Seafood

LINCOLN, Neb. — Consumers and businesses may be paying up to $23 per pound for ice when purchasing frozen seafood products, according to a recently concluded, national investigation by the National Conference on Weights and Measures.

“Over 21,000 consumer packages of seafood were removed from sale during the 4-week investigation,” Judy Cardin, weights and measures chief for the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, said in an announcement released yesterday. “In some cases, inspectors found ice comprising up to 40% of the product weight. A consumer purchasing one of these packages would be overcharged more than $9.”

Cardin organized the investigation, and 17 states ultimately participated, including Alaska, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Washington and Wisconsin.

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