Bayer cited in TODAY report on lobster meat

Bob Bayer, executive director of the Lobster Institute at the University of Maine, was quoted in the TODAY Food report, “Is your lobster fake? 5 ways to tell if your food is real.” The article cited a recently released report by Inside Edition accusing several restaurants across the country of using cheap seafood substitutes for lobster dishes. The report’s analysis of a lobster bisque from Red Lobster states the sample “included only langostino, a less expensive seafood more closely related to hermit crab than lobster,” according to the article. Bayer said langostino actually is a type of lobster. He added just as there is “mechanically separated chicken,” there is “minced lobster meat,” made by spinning the lobster shells and extracting meat from parts like the legs, which is commonly used for dishes such as ravioli, seafood salads and bisques.