Craving some authentic Mexican tuna ceviche? Well, next time you order it, the fish might actually be from Mexico.
Reuters reports that the Geneva-based World Trade Organization (WTO) has made an important decision in a decades-long battle between the U.S. and Mexico over tuna imports. The trade organization sided with Mexico, the article says.
The story, which quotes a source close to the negotiation but doesn't name the person, says the U.S.'s dissatisfaction with Mexican tuna resulted from their method of catching it – using a hoop net. According to the U.S., the method harmed and killed too many dolphins in the process.
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As a result, many U.S. tuna companies began to put “dolphin-safe” labels on their products in the early 90s.
WTO's recent decision, which hasn't been officially announced yet, would allegedly loosen labeling standards and allow the Mexican product to don the labels, too.
When word of WTO's alleged decision surfaced, Sen. Barbara Boxer, who helped author the law that created the dolphin-safe label in 1990, flipped a fin!
In a letter to Ron Kirk, a U.S. trade representative, she writes:
“Weakening this label could have significant consequences for dolphin populations, for consumers that have come to trust and rely on the Dolphin-Safe label, and for other U.S. labeling requirements that provide consumers with important product information.”
The Reuter's story says although the U.S. could still appeal the decision, it's unlikely that it will be modified.
If Mexican merchants really wanted to amp their sales in the U.S., I say they ditch the WTO and go instead to the queen of tuna marketing: Jessica Simpson.
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