Molecular Identification of Species and the Geographic Origin of Seafood

Species and origin identification techniques are required for food labeling regulations to differentiate commercially important fish, shellfish, and seaweed species, because many of the distinguishing morphological features are no longer identifiable after food processing. In Japan, the Law Concerning Standardization and Proper Labeling of Agricultural and Forestry Products (JAS Law) has been establishing food quality labeling standards for foods and beverages. In perishable foods, product names, the production site, and country of origin must appear on the food label. In executing such functions, biochemical and DNA-based genetic techniques for rapid but critical identification of fish species and population have been investigated to determine whether the food labels describe regally correct information.