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C. R. SANTERRE, Dept. of Foods & Nutrition, Purdue Univ., 205 Stone Hall, 700 W. State St., West Lafayette, IN 47907-1264 In recent years, a number of attacks have been mounted against farm-raised salmon. Some contend that salmon farming is not environmentally friendly, or that farmed salmon is not as nutritious as wild salmon, or that farmed salmon is full of toxic pollutants. These attacks have come from environmental groups, marketing associations as well as, university scientists. In addition, some believe that U.S. regulatory agencies have been slow to respond to these controversies. This has led many consumers and healthcare professionals in the U.S. to question whether these products have been adequately tested for safety and whether the risks of consuming fish, especially farmed salmon, outweigh the nutritional benefits. From environmental pollutants (PCBs, PBDEs and organochlorine pesticides), to pigments (astaxanthin and canthaxanthin), farmed salmon has been demonized by some as a highly toxic food that is dangerous for women of childbearing age and young children. Some groups have recommended that salmon intake be limited to no more than one meal per month. In this presentation, we discuss the risks vs. the nutritional benefits associated with consumption of farmed salmon. We will also describe our educational outreach activities which are intended to inform low-income women in Indiana about the risks and benefits of fish consumption.
Session 28, Good fish, bad fish: Perceptions of benefits and risk
2005 IFT Annual Meeting, July 15-20 - New Orleans, Louisiana |