We often mention the broken windows theory when we encourage FDA to focus some resources on economic fraud violations. The willingness to cheat or not understand the economic regulations (e.g., net weights, species identification) could be a sign of more serious problems like the willingness to be equally as lax or ignorant of food safety rules. While there are studies linking fixing broken windows to crime prevention, we havent seen such research in the seafood fraud arena.

Could this warning letter issued by FDA be an example of the broken window theory food safety-style? Dont know, but thank you FDA for taking note of how misidentifying a fish species is a violation of the FD & C Act.