Food: Is it safe?

 
Introduction
The skinny on salmon
Fishing for omega-3s
Mad cows, madder consumers
Conclusion

The Skinny on Salmon

If you are a little confused by recent farmed salmon stories, you aren’t alone. Here’s what essentially happened:

1. Huge international study comes out that says farmed salmon contain far more toxins than wild salmon. Recommends people limit eating farmed salmon to one meal or less per month.
   
2. Salmon farming industry freaks out, disputes findings, questions scientists, blames environmentalists (?) and considers new slogan: Farmed salmon – no, really, it’s good for you!
   
3. Media portrays the whole thing as he says, she says, so public gets confused.

Okay, here’s the real scoop. Salmon is a healthy food choice, full of great stuff like omega-3 fatty acids that are good for our hearts. Unfortunately, as the recent study found, the tradeoff with farmed salmon is that it also contains much higher levels of contaminants like PCBs that are linked to increased rates of cancer and birth defects.

So wild salmon is a healthier choice. Wild salmon is a better environmental choice too. Salmon are carnivorous critters. Right now, the salmon farming industry is depleting other ocean fish stocks to feed their salmon. It takes two to four kilograms of wild fish to produce one kilogram of farmed salmon. Plus, salmon farms pollute coastal waters and can spread parasites and diseases to wild salmon populations

Best salmon choices:
Wild Chum
Wild Pink
Wild Sockeye, Coho and Chinook

Canned salmon is usually wild pink or chum, but check the label.

Next> Fishing for omega3s