MISLEADING LABEL ON I & J FROZEN HADDOCK

My complaint and I & J's response below will be of interest to consumers who will think they;re buying Haddock which is in fact Smoked Hake with colouring added. Their response to my complaint was elaborate spin which does not disguise the misleading labeling on the packaging given that haddock and hake are different species of fish: ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sent: 29 January 2020 05:43 PM To: Consumer Care I&J Subject: Product query I wish to complain about the misleading labelling on the fozen I&J Light & Crispy Haddock. Haddock and Hake are different species of fish but under ingredients it states ‘SMOKED HAKE’ although HADDOCK is what is boldly written all over the packaging. As a long time consumer of your products, I would like to receive an explanation as to how I & J gets away with this when there are specific regulations about dishonest labelling on products (see below for the relevant text from The Consumer Protection Act, No. 68 of 2008): ________________________________ CPA: Your right to product labelling and trade description

Suppliers and service providers are required to display labelling and trade descriptions of products, which do not mislead consumers about the contents of the packaging or goods attached to the products. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I & J RESPONSE Thank you for your query with regards to the use of the terminology "Haddock" on the I&J Light & Crispy Haddock frozen product. In an attempt to unravel the confusion around the matter, it is important to understand that internationally the names used to denote fish species are either "common" names or scientific names/ Latin names. Since there is only one Latin name for each species, international fish trade will always use this form of description to avoid any confusion. However, the use of these names is often difficult for the average consumer and the more "common" fish names are used in consumer marketing. This naturally causes confusion with people traveling between countries as the common name will vary. It is therefore generally accepted that there is no "international norm" for common fish names and therefore the common fish name/names to be used in a specific country will depend on the norms and legislation applicable in that specific country. The most common example here in South Africa is the species with the common names "Hake" or "Deep Water Hake" (Merluccius paradoxis) or "Shallow Water Hake" (Merluccius capensis) or stock fish and the smoked product called Haddock. It is quite common for the smoked variant of a species to change its name from the raw to the smoked state, for example the UK Herring when smoked becomes a "Kipper" or "Bloater", depending on the smoking process used. In the UK there are two "white fish" species called Haddock - (Melanogrammus aeglefinus) and "whiting" (Merlangius merlangus). There can therefore be some confusion between the UK "Haddock" and the South African "Haddock". Similarly in the USA, South African Hake is called "whiting" in order to distinguish it from the local species which are called "Hake" with the scientific names (Urophycicis chuss and Urophys tenuis). Visitors to the USA from the UK might complain that the "whiting" they find in the USA is not the same as the "whiting" they are fami**** with. Internationally the word "whiting" is in fact used as a common name to describe more than 12 different fish species. Historically, Haddock was introduced into South Africa as far back as the early 1900's prior to refrigeration when the only way to transport fish from Europe was smoking it. The fish used was a white fish caught in the North Sea which lent itself particularly well to smoking. Over time this smoked Haddock became a popular dish in South Africa. With the introduction of refrigeration the requirement to smoke fish became unnecessary but the flavour imparted to fish from the smoking process was so popular, consumer demand remained. The result was that the smoking process became less heavy and dry producing a more moist end result with a far lighter smoking process. During the 1960's experimental work was carried out in South Africa to reproduce the popular imported product using the local Hake species - the result was a smoked salted Hake which was given the name "Cape Haddock". This meant the consumer was able to understand what the product was and would be able to distinguish it from the imported Haddock. Over time popularity of the local product and rising import costs resulted in imports of the UK product falling away and since the 1970's there have been no imports of the overseas product. Thus the only Haddock product which has been available over the past forty years has been the Cape Haddock product which over time has become known by local consumers simply as 'Haddock'. The use of the term Haddock for smoked Hake in South Africa was approved by the SABS and the Dept of Health in the 1970's and has been in common use in the country since then. The SABS issued an official document in 1990 confirming the use of the term "Haddock" for Smoked Hake. I&J is therefore following legislation in using the name "Haddock" which is the official name recognized by local authorities. We hope this addresses your concerns around the issue.

Kind Regards Melissa Rudman I&J Consumer Care Email: *** Tel.: ***Office Hours: 8.00am - 4.30pm, Monday - Friday (excl. Public Holidays)