Article: Read the text below. (5 minutes)
Marine scientists are concerned with the growing number of mislabeled fish packages in many supermarkets. In a study across North America and Europe, 20 to 25 percent of seafood products have fake labels. Cheaper fish meats are packed as expensive fish, while rare fish species are not identified as endangered.
Environmental group Oceana says agencies like Food and Drug Administration slack at monitoring mislabeled products. Their old monitoring system, which involves checking protein from fish samples, returns unreliable results. As an alternative, inspectors track the paperwork of fish deliveries and watch for any changes in labels. But this method also takes a lot of time.
To address this problem, scientists propose the use of DNA bar coding which allows inspectors to compare DNA from fish samples to a database of fish species. The cost of testing is not much. Laboratories charge $2000 for every 100 samples, equivalent to $20 per sample. If an agency owns the equipment, the cost can be $1 per sample.
Scientists claim that bar coding is becoming more accessible today. They predict that in the next ten years, inspectors will have hand-held DNA bar coding system.
However, stopping this widespread malpractice may take time because fish dealers continue to profit from it. In the meantime, consumers suffer as they pay more for cheaper fish and they become unaware that they are buying endangered fish species.
Words Difficult to Pronounce
marine – [muh-reen]
endangered – [en-deyn-jerd]
Oceana – [oh-shee-a-nuh]
database – [dey-tuh-beys]
species – [spee-sheez]
Vocabulary Review: Read the following words/expressions used in the article and make sample sentences using them. (5 minutes)
1. mislabeled (adj.) – having that a label that is wrong, misleading
Example: I took the wrong medicine because the bottle is mislabeled.
2. endangered (adj.) – something that is in danger of disappearing
Example: Polar bears are endangered because they are always hunted down.
3. bar code (n.) – a series of lines with different thickness and are read by scanner to reveal information such as price, address, identification, etc.
Example: Every product in the supermarket has a bar code to easily know how much they cost.
4. database (n.) – a very large collection of data that is in digital form
Example: The company has a database of clients which they update every month.
5. malpractice (adj.) – improper or wrong practice
Example: Doctors who ask patients to buy expensive drugs commit malpractice.
Comprehension Questions: Basing it from the article, answer the following questions. Answer using your own words. (5 minutes)
1. What is the concern of marine scientists regarding fish packaging?
2. What makes the old monitoring system poor?
3. What are the advantages of using DNA bar code system in monitoring mislabeled products?
Viewpoint Discussion: Read the following statements and determine whether you AGREE or DISAGREE. Discuss the reasons with your tutor. (5 minutes)
1. People should not buy endangered fishes.
2. It is alright to use cheaper fish in place of expensive ones because they taste the same.
