Fish are healthy for you right?

High in omega-3, plenty of protein, not to mention absolutely delicious when prepared right.

Unfortunately, not all is rosy in the octopus’s garden in the sea.

Due to industrial contamination of lakes, rivers, and oceans, the world fish population has been contaminated by mercury, a lethal poison especially dangerous to young children and pregnant women.

A European coalition of consumer groups is now pressing for mercury warning on labels of fish products:

A coalition of different environmental organizations, the Zero Mercury Working Group, claims that there are risks associated with eating fish due to its mercury content, and consumers need to be made aware of these through fish and seafood product labeling.

The group maintains that the proposed European Union regulation for labeling foodstuffs, currently being considered in the European parliament, should include advice for vulnerable groups about the mercury content of fish and seafood.

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What you need to know:

For the past 15 years, pregnant women and young children have been advised by the US government to limit consumption of certain types of fish that have been shown to contain high quantities of mercury. These are usually large predator fish such as tuna and swordfish who accumulate the poison in their bodies over a time span of years before they are caught.

It will be interesting to see the outcome of the European food labeling discussions, and what elements our FDA and USDA would be interested in adopting.

Don’t hold your breath though. Just a few months ago the FDA urged the government to amend its advisory that women and children should limit how much fish they eat. The reason – the benefits of seafood outweigh the health risks and that most people should eat more fish, even if it contains mercury. Was there any lobbying on behalf of the fishing industry behind this decision? Naaaah…

What to do at the supermarket:

The bigger the fish, the more mercury it has deposited in its flesh. So stay away from shark meat, swordfish, king mackerel, and albacore tuna. Small fry, such as sardines and anchovies, are an excellent source of protein and omega-3, without the bonus toxins. This is because they live for a short period of time before being harvested, so their body does not have time to accumulate mercury.

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Just when the Corn Refiners Association thought things were getting better for high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), it appears that mercury has found its way into the leading non-diet sweetener. From the Washington Post:

Almost half of tested samples of commercial high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) contained mercury, which was also found in nearly a third of 55 popular brand-name food and beverage products where HFCS is the first- or second-highest labeled ingredient, according to two new U.S. studies.

On average, Americans consume about 12 teaspoons per day of HFCS, but teens and other high consumers can take in 80 percent more HFCS than average.

“Mercury is toxic in all its forms. Given how much high-fructose corn syrup is consumed by children, it could be a significant additional source of mercury never before considered. We are calling for immediate changes by industry and the [U.S. Food and Drug Administration] to help stop this avoidable mercury contamination of the food supply,” said the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy’s Dr. David Wallinga, a co-author of both studies.

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photo: Hunt's Tomato Ketchup Products

Product brands with the highest levels of mercury (most to least) include: Quaker Oatmeal to Go, Jack Daniel’s Barbecue Sauce (Heinz), Hershey’s Chocolate Syrup, Kraft Original Barbecue Sauce, Nutri-Grain Strawberry Cereal Bars, Manwich Bold Sloppy Joe, Market Pantry Grape Jelly,  Smucker’s Strawberry Jelly,  Pop-Tarts Frosted Blueberry,  Hunt’s Tomato Ketchup, Wish-Bone Western Sweet & Smooth Dressing, Coca-Cola Classic, Yoplait Strawberry Yogurt, Minute Maid Berry Punch, Yoo-hoo Chocolate Drink, Nesquik Chocolate Milk, and Kemps Fat Free Chocolate Milk.

What you need to know:

HFCS is used extensively in soft drinks, ready-meals, and other processed foods because it is much cheaper than table sugar. Most nutrition and diet experts see no difference nutritionally speaking, between sugar and HFCS, although all are woried by the vast amount of HFCS used in foods, and contributing to America’s obesity epidemic.

Mercury is a dangerous poison that can be especially harmful to neural development of fetuses, infants, and young children. Many large fish species have been contaminated with mercury due to industrial spillage into lakes and oceans, and there are medical advisories that encourage pregnant women and parents to limit consumption of certain types of tuna and salmon as a safet precaution.

Mercury found its way into HFCS as a result of the industrial processing of corn kernels into a sugary syrup. the amount found, though, is a thousand fold less than in fish.

So by our book, the true health risks of consuming sugary foods is still obesity related disease, not mercury. However, this is great PR for the anti-HFCS camps, who will surely use thee news to spread more fear among consumers.

What to do at the supermarket:

Avoid sweetened food in general. Take a look at different product ingredient list, and you’ll be surprised how many contain HFCS, sugar, syrups, and other needless calorie adding sweeteners.

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From Culinate:

Yeah, we know you love sushi. We do, too. But of course, sushi can be problematic. Fish are overfished. Popular sushi fish like tuna are high in mercury. It’s gotten so that one sushi restaurant in Portland, Oregon, is overhauling its entire operation: Masu East will close its doors November 1 and reopen shortly afterwards as Bamboo Sushi, a “sustainable sushi” restaurant.

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What you need to know:

If eating raw fish isn’t scary enough, in recent years sushi lovers have had to learn to deal with contaminants such as mercury and PCB in tuna, salmon, and other large fish. Now we gag on our nigiri each time we learn of another fish repository being depleted.

What to do:

Get your sustainable sushi guide here, and order accordingly.

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photo credit: Kevin Lawver

From the NorwalkPlus Magazine:

The Connecticut Department of Public Health (DPH) and the Connecticut Food Association (CFA) today unveiled a statewide campaign touting the healthy benefits of eating fish while pointing out the species that should be limited in the diet.

“Make Healthy Fish Choices,” a guide developed by the DPH and CFA for women and children, explains the type of fish to eat in order to enjoy their healthy benefits, while reducing the risk of ingesting certain chemicals. The guides and informational take-home cards are available at participating supermarkets across the state.

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What you need to know:

Fish are rich in omega-3 fatty acid. That’s good. Unfortunately, our waters are polluted, and as a result, many fish are contaminated with methyl-mercury and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). These poisons accumulate over time, so larger fish that take longer to grow (such as swordfish), are prone to higher levels of the contaminants. Pregnant women and young children are especially sensitive to mercury and PCBs, which can damage brain and nervous system development. The department of health developed guidelines that can be downloaded as follows: A Guide to Safe Eating of Fish in Connecticut (pdf) , A Women’s Guide to Eating Fish Safely (pdf) , A Women’s Supermarket Guide to Fish Consumption (pdf)

What to do at the supermarket:

Come prepared in advance and know which fish you intend on buying. Ask for help and advice from the fishmonger.

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