---
title: "DNA Study Reveals Mixed Ingredients and Traceability Gaps in Panama's Ceviche"
date: 2026-03-21
modified: 2026-03-20
author: ""
url: https://panamadaily.news/2026/03/21/panama-ceviche-dna-reveals-mislabeling/
categories:
  - "Environment"
  - "News"
tags:
  - "ceviche"
  - "DNA analysis"
  - "Edgardo Díaz Ferguson"
  - "MarViva"
  - "traceability"
---

# DNA Study Reveals Mixed Ingredients and Traceability Gaps in Panama's Ceviche

## What Happened

A genetic-molecular analysis applied to commercially sold ceviche across Panama has found that the seafood in this emblematic dish often does not match what is declared. The study — developed over more than two years and presented in March — identified at least 21 different species in the samples analyzed and exposed a structural problem: lack of traceability in the seafood supply chain.

## Study and findings

The investigation was led by Panamanian marine geneticist Edgardo Díaz Ferguson, director of the Estación Científica Coiba AIP, as part of a strategic alliance that supports the “Ceviche Libre de Tiburón” label promoted by the Fundación MarViva. Researchers applied DNA techniques to ceviche samples collected at various points around the country.

Results show ceviche rarely contains a single species; instead many samples were mixtures. The declared species did not always match the species detected. Among the 21 species identified were local fish such as pargo and corvina, imported species like pangasius (basa), as well as higher-value or regulated species including marlin (Makaira indica) and even sharks.

“DNA allows us to know exactly what is on the plate, even when the product has been mixed or processed,” Díaz Ferguson explained.

## Traceability and consumer information

Consumption of various marine species, including sharks, is not prohibited in Panama. The core problem highlighted by the study is consumer information: fish often arrives filleted, mixed and without visible reference to origin, capture method or compliance with management measures.

“What is concerning is not the consumption, but the misinformation. The consumer believes they are eating one species, but it may be another,” Díaz Ferguson warned. Katherine Arroyo, executive director of MarViva, said the study confirms a structural weakness in the fishing chain: “The consumer has no way of knowing where the product comes from, how it was caught or if it meets sustainability criteria.”

## Sharks, markets and incentives

The analysis ties into growing regional concern over pressure on vulnerable species, particularly sharks, which play key ecological roles as top predators. Arroyo cautioned that consumption of sharks appears to be normalizing despite their ecological importance.

The “Ceviche Libre de Tiburón” voluntary label aims to create market incentives: building consumer trust, differentiating responsible vendors and reducing pressure on vulnerable species. The study found that establishments using this seal complied with their claims and tended to incorporate higher-quality species such as lenguado and berrugate.

## What this means

Beyond food safety and labeling, researchers say ceviche can function as a lens into broader fisheries dynamics — revealing changes in consumption patterns, pressure on particular species and regional differences. The methodology developed in Panama has attracted interest from Costa Rica, El Salvador, Colombia and Peru. Researchers and advocates argue the next step is implementing traceability systems — common in European markets but still emerging in Latin America — and they say “Panama has the opportunity to position itself as a regional leader” on this issue.