DNA testing of US seafood samples revealed that 59 percent of
tuna and 87 percent of snapper were mislabeled
At sushi restaurants, 74 percent of fish samples were not the
fish they were labeled to be
84 percent of “white tuna” sold in sushi venues was actually
escolar, a fish associated with acute and serious digestive
effects if you eat just a couple of ounces
You can help to avoid fraudulently labeled seafood by asking
questions about its origin, avoiding cheaply priced seafood (if
the price seems too good to be true, it probably is), and
purchasing the whole fish whenever possible
By Dr. Mercola
When you eat tuna, there’s a good chance you’re not actually
eating tuna. Instead, the majority of fish labeled ‘white tuna’ may
actually be escolar, a type of fish that can cause serious digestive
effects, including oily anal leakage.
Oceana, the non-profit ocean protection group that revealed the
findings, further found that nearly 60 percent of ‘tuna’ sold at
restaurants and grocery stores is another type of fish entirely –
and the results fared worst for sushi restaurants.1
Love Sushi? Skip the So-Called ‘Tuna’ (Ahi)
Oceana conducted DNA testing on more than 1,200 fish samples
across the US and found that one-third were mislabeled. While red
snapper had the highest mislabeling rates (87 percent of ‘red
snapper’ samples were not actually red snapper), tuna was a close
second, with 59 percent mislabeled.
At sushi restaurants, however, 74 percent of fish samples were
mislabeled. This included every single sushi restaurant
from which samples were tested, even in major metropolitan areas
like Chicago, Austin, New York and Washington DC.
According to Oceana’s 69-page report,2
in many cases the mislabeled fish had been substituted for cheaper,
less desirable and/or more readily available fish varieties. The
results showed that:
Mislabeling was found in 27 of the 46 fish types tested (59
percent)
87 percent of fish sold as snapper was actually some other
type of fish
59 percent of tuna was some other type of fish
84 percent of “white tuna” sold in sushi venues was actually
escolar, a fish associated with acute and serious digestive
effects if you eat just a couple of ounces
Grouper, halibut, and red snapper were sometimes substituted
with king mackerel and tile fish, two types of fish the FDA
advises pregnant women and other sensitive groups to avoid due
to dangerously high mercury content
Only 1 Percent of Imported Seafood Is Tested for Fraud
How are so many seafood retailers getting away with selling
mislabeled fish? To put is simply, no one is minding the store…
More than 90 percent of the seafood consumed in the US is
imported, yet only 1 percent of imports are inspected for fraud,
which may explain this clearly out-of-control situation. Oceana
reported:3
“Our findings demonstrate that a comprehensive and
transparent traceability system – one that tracks fish from boat
to plate – must be established at the national level.
At the same time, increased inspection and testing of our
seafood, specifically for mislabeling, and stronger federal and
state enforcement of existing laws combatting fraud are needed
to reverse these disturbing trends.
Our government has a responsibility to provide more
information about the fish sold in the U.S., as seafood fraud
harms not only consumers’ wallets, but also every honest vendor
and fisherman cheated in the process – to say nothing of the
health of our oceans.”
Another Reason to Avoid Tuna: It’s Typically Loaded With Mercury
Fish has always been the best source for the animal-based omega-3
fats EPA and DHA, but as levels of pollution have increased, this
health treasure of a food has become less and less viable as a
primary source of beneficial fats. This is particularly true for
tuna, which tends to be a higher mercury fish.
One study from the U.S. Geological Survey found that ALL tuna
tested contained
fairly high amounts of mercury. The contamination may be even
worse in restaurants, again confirming that eating
restaurant tuna is a risky proposition.
Further, according to a separate study, toxicological testing
revealed that tuna sold in restaurants actually contained HIGHER
amounts of mercury than the store-bought variety.4
The reason for this is because restaurants tend to favor certain
species of tuna, such as bluefin akami and bigeye tuna, which had
significantly higher levels of mercury than bluefin toro and
yellowfin tuna.
Unfortunately, mercury tends to accumulate to a greater degree in
muscle than in fat, rendering these highly prized, leaner species of
tuna more susceptible to high contamination.
Another explanation is that restaurants tend to buy larger sized
fish, which in turn contain larger concentrations of mercury due to
their size. Remember, the larger the fish the longer it has lived,
and the more time it has had to bioaccumulate toxins like mercury
from the ocean.
It’s not only tuna and red snapper that is commonly mislabeled.
In the video above, I interview Randy Hartnell, founder-president of
Vital Choice Wild Seafood and Organics. He explains that as much as
70 to 80 percent of the fish marked "wild" salmon were actually
farmed. This includes restaurants, where 90-95 percent of salmon is
farmed, yet may be mis-listed on the menu as "wild." The following
tips can help you determine whether the salmon is authentic:
Canned salmon labeled "Alaskan Salmon" is a good bet, as
Alaskan salmon is not allowed to be farmed.
In restaurants, mislabeled salmon will typically be
described as "wild" but not "wild Alaskan." This is because
authentic "wild Alaskan" is easier to trace. The term "wild" is
more nebulous and therefore more often misused. In many ways, it
is very similar to the highly abused "natural" designation.
Whether you're in a grocery store or a restaurant, ask the
seafood clerk or waiter where the fish is from. If it's wild,
they will have paid more for it, so they're likely to understand
the value proposition. Since it's a selling point, they will
know where it came from. If they don't have an answer for you,
it's a red flag that it's farmed, or worse... The US Food and
Drug Administration is moving forward with approving
genetically engineered salmon to be sold, and as you know,
GE foods still do not need to be labeled in the US.
Avoid Atlantic salmon, as all salmon labeled "Atlantic
Salmon" currently comes from fish farms.
Sockeye salmon cannot be farmed, so if you find sockeye
salmon, it's bound to be wild. You can tell sockeye salmon from
other salmon by its color. It's bright red as opposed to pink.
The reason again for this bright red color is its superior
astaxanthin content. Sockeye salmon has one of the highest
concentrations of astaxanthin of any food.
Three Ways to Help Determine if Seafood Is Mislabeled
For the average diner, it can be difficult, if not nearly
impossible, to determine if the tuna or red snapper in your sushi is
actually what it’s claimed to be. That said, there are some ways to
protect yourself against rampant seafood fraud:5
Ask questions. Consumers should ask more
questions, including what kind of fish it is, if it is wild or
farm raised, and where, when and how it was caught
Check the price. If the price is too good
to be true, it probably is, and you are likely purchasing a
completely different species than what is on the label.
Purchase the whole fish. When possible,
purchase the whole fish, which makes it more difficult to swap
one species for another.
Are You a Seafood Lover? Use These Tips to Stay Healthy
Aside from the fraud issue, which is clearly prevalent, most
major waterways in the world are contaminated with mercury, heavy
metals, and chemicals like dioxins, PCBs, and other agricultural
chemicals that wind up in the environment. This is why, as a general
rule, I no longer recommend getting your omega-3 requirements from
fish, but rather from a high-quality, animal-based omega-3
supplement like krill oil. However, I do make two exceptions.
One is authentic, wild-caught Alaskan sockeye salmon, the
nutritional benefits of which I believe still outweigh any potential
contamination. The risk of sockeye accumulating high amounts of
mercury and other toxins is reduced because of its short life cycle,
which is only about three years. Additionally, bioaccumulation of
toxins is also reduced by the fact that it doesn't feed on other,
already contaminated, fish.
Whenever I consume fish, I make sure to also take chlorella
tablets. The chlorella is a potent mercury binder and if taken with
the fish will help bind the mercury before you are able to absorb
it, so it can be safely excreted in your stool.
The second exception is smaller fish with short lifecycles, which
also tend to be better alternatives in terms of fat content, so it's
a win-win situation — lower contamination risk and higher
nutritional value. A general guideline is that the closer to the
bottom of the food chain the fish is, the less contamination it will
have accumulated. So if you’re a seafood lover, try to choose most
of your fish from this group, which includes:
Sardines
Anchovies
Herring
If you insist on eating typical, store-bought fish and want to
know more about the extent of your mercury exposure, I urge you to
check out the online mercury calculator6
at
GotMercury.org to get an idea of the risks. Additionally, as
mentioned above, you may want to consider taking a natural mercury
chelator with any fish dinner. In addition to chlorella, this also
includes zeolite (green clay) and fermented vegetables. Since larger
fish tend to live longer and have the highest contamination
levels, they should be avoided entirely. These include
(please note this is not an exhaustive listing):