Farmed Vietnamese catfish being passed on as cod in British fish & chips shops

It sells for less than half the price of real cod in wholesale markets, but customers at UK’s fish & chips shops are being charged as if it is the real thing.

Trading standards officers in Worcestershire have already successfully prosecuted one shop for passing off as cod Pangasius hypophthalmus, also known as river cobbler and basa. Two other prosecutions are in the pipeline, the Daily Mail reports.

Trading standards division manager John Dell believed it is widespread: “There will be other fish-and-chip shops around the country who are trying to pull a fast one,” he told the newspaper.

The catfish typically sells for £5 a kilo wholesale, compared with £11.75 for cod.

 It was a complaint from a customer that led officials to go in and buy samples. Initially, the analyst couldn't establish what it was but after some detective work they found it was pangasius. As a raw fillet it looks different to cod, but when battered it is difficult to tell the difference between the two fish species.