Even if you are eating fish on a regular basis, trying to eat healthily and get those good omega-3 fats into your system, a recent study from Oceana indicates that you may not be getting what you paid for and may, in fact, be eating fish of lesser quality.
Widespread Problems
Oceana visited sushi vendors, grocery stores and restaurants in large cities across the United States. They found that approximately 39 percent of seafood samples were mislabeled. They visited sites in New York City, Boston, Los Angeles and Miami.
The largest problems were found with sushi vendors, who frequently substituted fish of lesser value or, in some cases, fish with dangerous levels of mercury or other contaminates. For example, red snapper is one form of fish that was frequently replaced with other types of fish. Red snapper has been severely over-fished, and in some areas may be difficult to obtain.
Grouper and halibut are other types of fish that were frequently replaced with lesser types of fishes. The most common substitute fish is tilefish, which comes with a serious health warning due to high levels of mercury. Tilefish was also used as a substitute for red snapper. Tilefish should not be eaten by pregnant women or by young children.
White tunas was another type of fish that was frequently substituted with other fish. Instead of white tuna, escolar was presented in its place. In New York City, almost all sushi restaurants mislabeled escolar for white tuna. Escolar contains gempylotoxin, which can cause gastrointestinal problems that can become quite severe for individuals who eat it in large amounts. It has been banned in Japan and Italy and many other countries have placed health advisories on escolar.
According to the FDA, only albacore is allowed to legally be labeled and marketed as “white tuna” and it is only allowed to be sold if it is canned. If it is sold fresh or frozen, it must be labeled as “albacore tuna” or simply “tuna.”
The findings of this study are troubling. For people who are trying to eat a balanced and healthy diet, fish can be an important food. If you are eating fish, make sure that you know what you are buying.
Do you eat fish regularly? What are your favorite types of fish?
– The Alternative Daily
