Researchers in the US have claimed farmed salmon contains far more harmful toxins than wild salmon, and have said that intake of farmed salmon should be limited.
Go deeper with GlobalData
The scientists, writing in the journal Science, said the feed given to the farmed fish was responsible for the higher levels of toxins, reported Reuters.
The team at several US universities analysed toxic contaminants in 700 farmed and wild salmon from markets in 16 cities in Europe and North America.
Their findings suggested that farmed salmon from markets in Boston, Edinburgh, Frankfurt, London, Oslo, Paris, San Francisco and Toronto had the highest levels of toxins; so much, in fact, that the researchers said such salmon should only be eaten once a month.
Scottish Quality Salmon, which represents around 65% of Scottish producers, said the research was “deliberately misleading”.
How well do you really know your competitors?
Access the most comprehensive Company Profiles on the market, powered by GlobalData. Save hours of research. Gain competitive edge.
Thank you!
Your download email will arrive shortly
Not ready to buy yet? Download a free sample
We are confident about the unique quality of our Company Profiles. However, we want you to make the most beneficial decision for your business, so we offer a free sample that you can download by submitting the below form
By GlobalData“In advising how much salmon should be eaten the study ignores all the health benefits of regular farmed salmon consumption as reported in over 5,000 scientific studies,” SQS said in a statement.
The UK’s Food Standards Agency issued a statement saying that the levels of dioxins and PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls) found in the study were in line with those that have previously been found by the FSA and were also within up-to-date safety levels set by the World Health Organisation and the European Commission.
“Our advice is that people should consume at least two portions of fish a week, one of which should be oily like salmon. There is good evidence that eating oily fish reduces the risk of death from recurrent heart attacks and that there is a similar effect in relation to first heart attacks,” said FSA chairman Sir John Krebs.
“Although dioxin levels have decreased dramatically over the past two decades we recognise that they remain a consumer concern. We advise that the known benefits of eating one portion of oily fish outweigh any possible risks.
“Last year we asked a group of experts to advise on the balance of risks and benefits of eating more than this regularly over a lifetime and they will report later this year,” Krebs said.
