PRAWN PRICE CON

FROZEN seafood shoppers are being charged for ice water in packaging.

The Seafood Importers Association of Australasia said some sellers had been including ice glaze in the declared weight of packaged seafood, such as fish fillets and prawns.

The association’s Mark Boulter said ice glaze, used as a protective coating to stop seafood drying out, typically made up 10 per cent of the total weight of packages.

CONSUMERS have been unwittingly charged for added water when buying some frozen seafood.

Concerns about the “ripoff” have been raised with the nation’s trade measurement regulator, which now plans to crack down on the practice.

The Seafood Importers Association of Australasia said some operators had been unfairly getting away with including added ice glaze in the declared weight of packaged seafood such as fillets and prawns.

The association’s technical adviser, Mark Boulter, said ice glaze typically made up 10 per cent of total weight.

While some manufacturers declared net weight excluding ice or water, industry surveillance found others included glaze, creating an uneven playing field.

Although it was unclear how common the problem was, he said: “Certainly there was a feeling a number of people were doing this, that they were getting away with some- thing that didn’t pass the pub test.

“Businesses that include ice glaze in net weight can economically undercut those that don’t. In our view that’s a ripoff.”

Mr Boulter said that up until recently businesses had legally been able to include ice glaze as net weight if water was mentioned in an ingredient list, even though it was merely an added coating. Most frozen packaged seafood sold in Australia is imported. Ice glaze is used as a protective coating to stop seafood drying out.

Mr Boulter said that since concerns were raised, the National Measurement Institute had clarified that declared net weight for frozen packaged seafood that is not marinated, crumbed or subject to other “value adding” had to exclude any external water or ice glaze.

NMI legal metrology general manager Bill Loizides said the regulator had “considered the concerns expressed by industry and consumer groups and clarified its interpretation of the regulations relating to frozen seafood”.

“To help ensure that con- sumers are getting a fair deal, NMI’s trade measurement inspectors will be undertaking a program of inspections in 2018-19 to check whether weight statements on prepackaged frozen seafood refer to the net weight of the seafood excluding any external water or ice glaze.”

Inspections will cover the whole distribution chain, including packers, importers, wholesalers and retailers.

Businesses caught shortmeasuring risk fines of up to $210,000 per offence for a company.