American Scallop Association wont tolerate cheating

November 5, 2010 Washington, DC The largest scallop suppliers in the United States have drawn a line in the sand, telling cheaters in their industry to clean up your act.

We are happy to see members of the seafood community step up and say enough is enough, said Lisa Weddig, secretary of the Better Seafood Board (BSB.) In this case the scallop folks have committed to working with an independent, third-party auditing firm. Thats certainly a step in the right direction.

The American Scallop Association (ASA) announced Friday that not only had its members agreed to an economic integrity pledge but that they were also working to engage the National Marine Fisheries Services inspection service and some state agencies to address issues of fraud.

From the beginning, the BSB has said our community needs to work with regulators to help them do their jobs fairly and accurately, while weeding out bad actors, said Weddig.

ASAs program will focus on accurate labeling and short weighting.

Change from within can be the most powerful kind, said Weddig. The more we hear about commitments to economic integrity the more were convinced real change is in the works.

The Better Seafood Board (BSB) was established by the National Fisheries Institute to provide a mechanism for industrys partners in the supply chain restaurants, retail operations, producers and processors - to report suppliers suspected of committing economic fraud.

Contact Information

Gavin Gibbons
(703) 752-8891
ggibbons@nfi.org