Fake fish
Two high school students ran DNA tests on fish purchased in New York City:
They found that one-fourth of the fish samples with identifiable DNA were mislabeled. A piece of sushi sold as the luxury treat white tuna turned out to be Mozambique tilapia, a much cheaper fish that is often raised by farming. Roe supposedly from flying fish was actually from smelt. Seven of nine samples that were called red snapper were mislabeled, and they turned out to be anything from Atlantic cod to Acadian redfish, an endangered species.
Fraud is not so surprising. The deeper message is that the customers can’t tell the difference. They are willing to pay up, not for the fish, not for the species of the fish, but for the name of the species. The species becomes a symbolic product, much like a brand.
I am reminded of the Jack in the Box ad campaign claiming that sirloin was better than Angus. The ad conflated sirloin, a cut of beef, with Angus, a breed of cattle, reducing both to meaningless symbols.
We have the products themselves (fish and hamburger), and we have symbols attached to the products (tuna, Angus). Advertising, and consequently consumer behavior, are largely focused on the symbols, not the products.