Backlash after state media reveals ‘imported’ salmon in China is rainbow trout farmed in Qinghai
Angry consumers say they thought they were eating fish from Europe or North America, and some vow to stop buying it
A report by the state broadcaster last week revealing that one-third of the salmon sold in China is actually rainbow trout farmed on the Tibetan plateau has caused widespread outrage among consumers.
More Chinese have been eating the fish in recent years, particularly at Japanese restaurants or cooking it at home, believing it to be nutritious and imported.
But after CCTV revealed on Wednesday that many of them have been buying a different type of fish farmed in a reservoir in Qinghai province, it set off a firestorm of criticism online.
On social media, angry consumers said they had been misled by fish sellers marketing their salmon as imported from northern Europe or North America, with some vowing to stop buying the fish altogether.
It has also tapped into widespread fears about food safety in China, with many online commenters saying they did not trust the Chinese farmed freshwater fish being sold as salmon, and worrying about parasites in the raw fish.