The phenomenon of mislabelling – that is, the incorrect or misleading indication of product information such as species, origin or production method – affecting fish and seafood products in the Ho.Re.Ca. channel will be the central focus of a debate session scheduled for 18 February at AQUAFARM, the international trade fair dedicated to aquaculture and the seafood value chain.
The bilateral meeting will bring together experts from Spain and Italy to analyse key challenges, operational differences and possible solutions within a shared European regulatory framework.
The session is entitled: API- Associazione Piscicoltori Italiani & misPeces: “Mediterranean aquaculture and mislabelling: application of labelling rules in the Ho.Re.Ca. channel.”
The session will be moderated by Alejandro Guelfo, editor of the misPeces platform, specialised in Mediterranean aquaculture, and will feature contributions from José Manuel Fernández Polanco, Professor of Applied Economics at the University of Cantabria; María Luisa Álvarez Blanco, Managing Director of FEDEPESCA, the Spanish National Federation of Provincial Fish Retailers’ Associations; and Matteo Leonardi, President of the Associazione Piscicoltori Italiani (API).
Why is a dialogue between Spanish and Italian experts on this issue so important? Although both countries operate within the same European regulatory framework, mislabelling in the Ho.Re.Ca. channel manifests itself differently in each, influenced by distinct catering models, market structures and control systems. Analysing these differences helps to clarify the issue and to identify more effective tools to address it.
For Italian professionals, the contribution of Spanish experts represents an opportunity to compare experiences with a mature market, where mislabelling is increasingly addressed through information and transparency tools – not only as a regulatory requirement, but also as a means of enhancing product value and strengthening consumer trust.
For Spanish and European professionals, dialogue with the Italian context allows for a better understanding of the specific characteristics of a market marked by strong fragmentation within the Ho.Re.Ca. channel, and a assessment of how similarities and differences in mislabelling practices may influence information, economic and control strategies at European level.
Professor Fernández Polanco will provide an academic perspective on mislabelling in fishery products in Spain, Italy and Europe, contributing data and analyses of particular relevance to understanding the economic and regulatory dimensions of the issue.
Alongside this perspective, María Luisa Álvarez Blanco will bring direct experience from the distribution sector and from engagement with the final consumer, highlighting the practical implications of mislabelling in foodservice and the role of information as a key tool to ensure transparency, trust and protection of product value.
For this part, Matteo Leonardi will outline the current situation regarding mislabelling in the Italian Ho.Re.Ca. channel from the perspective of aquaculture producers, analysing how this phenomenon affects consumer seeking to purchase Made in Italy seafood products and how transparency contributes to safeguarding product value and producer’s work.
The meeting is conceived as a concrete forum for dialogue between two key realities of the European fisheries sector, with the aim of contributing to greater clarity and consistency in the application of labelling rules within the foodservice sector.
Italy – Spain Bilateral Session
API – Associazione Piscicoltori Italiani & misPeces
“Mediterranean aquaculture and mislabelling: application of labelling rules in the Ho.Re.Ca. channel”
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