Chippers Codding Customers In Fish Rip-Off

And chippers are not the only guilty ones - less expensive white fish is being labeled cod in shops, hotels, pubs and restaurants around the country.

Researchers at University College Dublin found that 28 per cent of the cod being sold in Ireland was being mislabeled.

The figure was just 7 per cent in the UK.

Customers were buying whiting and Pollock when they believed they were purchasing the pricier cod.

90% of the fake cod identified were smoked, breaded or battered because this can disguise the appearance, smell and taste of the fish.

Scientists at UCD used DNA techniques to genetically identify 226 cod products purchased from supermarkets, fishmongers and takeaways.

The researchers also found one supermarket chain operating in Ireland and the UK were labeling their cod as "sustainably sourced" Pacific cod, when in fact it was Atlantic cod, which is a threatened species.

The findings were published in the scientific journal "Fish and Fisheries"

Cod remains the most popular white fish in Ireland.

Atlantic cod stocks have been seriously depleted and much of the cod sold in Ireland and the UK is now imported from elsewhere.