Which Fish Is Safe to Eat?

June Camacho — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 19:35:23 +0000

Most people think eating fish is healthy, and for the most part it is. But a lot of fish can be contaminated and may not be such a smart choice. For example, salmon can be very healthy, as long as it is wild. You should never eat farm raised salmon. Farm raised salmon contains a chemical called PCB. PCBs, or polychlorinated biphenyls, are highly toxic industrial compounds. They pose serious health risks to fetuses, babies and children, who may suffer developmental and neurological problems from prolonged or repeated exposure to small amounts of PCBs. These chemicals are harmful to adults as well. Although they were banned from manufacture in the United States in 1977, PCBs are slow to break down and can persist in the environment at dangerous levels. PCBs accumulate in the sediments at the bottoms of streams, rivers, lakes and coastal areas. These chemicals can build up in the fatty tissues of fish and other animals, and in high concentrations pose serious health risks to people who frequently eat contaminated fish. Based on available data on PCB concentrations in fish, it is recommended that you limit consumption of certain fish.

This data comes from the Environmental Defense fund. It is an advocacy group that uses sound science to solve environmental problems. You can visit their site at www.edf.org to get a complete list of which fish is safe andwhich is not. Go the main page by clicking on the link above once your are there then click on What You Can Do at the top and then click on Smart Seafood. You will see a pocket-sized chart that you can print out and carry with you that will tell you which fish is the best and which fish to avoid. I personally love salmon but it is hard to find wild salmon at the grocery store and almost impossible to get in restaurants. If you see wild salmon on the menu always check and make sure that it is. A lot of times, they have it printed on the menu but if they can’t get it the restaurant will substitute farm-raised.

I order my salmon from a company called Vital Choice Seafood. The fish is caught in the wild and flash frozen on the boats. This is actually the freshest fish to get. Most of the time when fish is caught it is put on ice and brought back at the end of the day, so by the time you get it even though it says "fresh not frozen" it can be as old as two days. When fish is caught and flash frozen on the boat it really does not get any fresher than that. Vital Choice also practices safe fishing methods so that the wild fish population is not in danger. They also carry many different kinds of canned salmon including smoked salmon and salmon with no salt.

They use cans that are supposed to be BPA free. BPA stands for Bisphenol-A and is used to make the epoxy resin that lines most canned foods and is used in the making of plastics. BPA has been suspected of being hazardous to humans since the 1930s, concerns about the use of bisphenol A in consumer products were regularly reported in the news media in 2008 after several governments issued reports questioning its safety, and some retailers have removed it from their products but some have not. BPA epoxy lined cans have been banned in Japan for many years. There was a Consumers Report that came out a few weeks ago that found some very low levels of BPA in Vital Choice's canned tuna. The canned salmon was not tested. Consumers Report tested all different kinds of brands and types of canned food. Some had very high levels and some were very low. The tuna from Vital Choice was very low, however they are suppossed to be using cans that are BPA free and they are according to the report (to read the report go to http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/magazine-archive/december-2009/food/bpa/overview/bisphenol-a-ov.htm) Those of you with children should read the article.

So how did the BPA get into the tuna if they are not using epoxy based resin that contains BPA to line their cans? Vital Choice has posted a response on their site. BPA is a chemical that is in very high levels in the environment with more than a 100 tons being released each year. The plant that the tuna is processed in might process other canned goods that use epoxy based resin and that could be an explanation. Using epoxy based resin is much cheaper so most companies that manufacture canned goods use it. Nevertheless, they are looking into the matter and looking for the real why so that they can institute a proper handling. I have never tried the canned tuna only the canned salmon. I feel like they are a very ethical company and will get it resolved. I do not eat anything from a can except their canned salmon so I still feel confident about ordering from them. If you feel like you want to avoid anything canned then just order any of the frozen fish which is extremely good. I have tried just about all of their salmon and it is all very good. I especially like the canned smoked salmon. I also really liked the salmon sausage patties. They come in two flavors : spicy chorizo and a country sage and both are very good. They actually don't contain any sausage and are made with 100% Salmon and spices. However, my husband is not that crazy about them! I guess they are an acquired taste. They also have some great organic oils, spices and other food items. The website is www.vitalchoice.com

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Which Fish Is Safe to Eat?