Long John Silver’s Big Catch

Avast! Long John Silver’s advertises its Big Catch as “the largest fish we have ever offered weighing in at 7-8 ounces of 100 percent premium Haddock caught in the icy waters of the North Atlantic,” and promoted the meal in print, TV, and social media sites. But there be false advertisin’ abound, ye filthy curs.

CSPI separated the breading from the actual fish in the Big Catch and discovered that “7-8 ounces” of fish really means 4.5 ounces of fish and three ounces of oil-soaked breading. Testing also found that the Big Catch meal contains 33 grams of trans fat and all sorts of other unhealthy things. CSPI declared the Big Catch the “Worst Restaurant Meal in America,” a mighty title for a big country that sells all kinds of “food.”

Savvy landlubbers should know that restaurants sometimes overestimate the weight of meat and underestimate the potential for health harms. Yo ho, yo ho.