Getting an honest answer to that question is not easy. Two weeks ago, I learned that the National Fisheries Institute (which, despite its official title, is a lobbying group for the fishing industry) was putting $60,000 into promoting seafood as healthy. I wanted to look into the issue more and I was in luck because the details were canned and served by Marian Burros at the New York Times in this article Industry Money Fans Debate on Fish.
I'll just add a small tuna-related health story to the mix. In the U.S., consumers have been warned about canned tuna and told that albacore tuna, labeled often as 'white tuna', is highest in mercury, while cans of 'chunk light' or 'light tuna' are composed of tuna species with lower mercury content. But about 90 million cans of 'light tuna' sold in the U.S. each year contain yellowfin tuna, which has mercury levels equivalent to that of albacore. But rather than properly labeling their products, producers have chosen to reduce risk by decreasing the amount of tuna in a can by roughly 15 percent to exactly 170 g (6 oz.) and thus stay below the 'allowable' limit for mercury.
What's in a can?
Medicine & Health
Environment
Comments
More confusion, just as more researchers are saying that Omega-3 fatty acids are good for all sorts of health issues, including heart disease, blood pressure, rheumatoid arthritis, post-partum depression, and ADHD.
(FYI, Jenn, I found supplements made from algae, so they come from the bottom of the food chain AND they're mercury-free. I thought that would make you happy!)
Posted by: knwd | October 17, 2007 2:53 PM
Excellent recommendations. People should be aware of both the risks and benefits of seafood. The decision of what fish to eat can be a challenge and often contradictory. At the very least, people should know that FDA and EPA have issued advisories about mercury contamination in commonly-sold fish. The problem is, this information is hard to find and is not usually available where it is most necessary: your supermarket.
Oceana, a conservation group, is trying to get major grocery companies to post this government advice at their seafood counters. Thanks, in part to their work, Whole Foods, Safeway stores, and Wild Oats voluntarily agreed to post the FDA�s recommendations and they have had positive responses from customers and no loss in seafood sales. But other companies like Wal-Mart, Costco, and Giant have refused to do so. Oceana has a list of which companies care about their customers� health enough to post this advice, as well as a list of companies that don�t. You can get the Green List and Red List at their website.
Posted by: Melissa | October 18, 2007 7:15 AM
Nice post. I really have to look beyond organization names these days to know what they actually do. I have heard about that Healthy mothers Healthy Babies essentially took bribe and sang praises for NFI. Shame on them.
Posted by: CindyW | October 23, 2007 12:14 AM