Tag: fish/seafood
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Pew Environment Group Releases FDA Documents on Chilean Salmon Farms
The Pew Environment Group has released documents obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request showing that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) faulted three Chilean salmon farming companies, “including the two largest producers of farmed salmon,” for using a number of drugs not approved by the U.S. government. FDA inspections apparently uncovered use of…
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Sofía Baliño, “Fishing with the Stars,” Food & Water Watch Blog, February 2, 2009
This blog post examines a fish diet trend currently sweeping Hollywood, raising questions about the safety and sustainability of certain seafood selections. According to Food & Water Watch, actor Jeremy Piven became “the rumored victim of mercury poisoning” after eating sushi twice daily, while Madonna has pledged to eat more salmon and Angelina Jolie earlier…
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Net Health Effects of Commercial Fish Consumption Topic of New FDA Risk Assessment
FDA this week published a draft assessment weighing the risks and benefits of fish consumption for children and the general population. The assessment considers the net health effects of fish consumption on fetal neurodevelopment, as well as fatal heart disease and stroke risk in the general population. FDA is seeking “to understand the relationship between…
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U.S. Supreme Court Denies Further Review of Salmon Class Action
The U.S. Supreme Court has denied a petition seeking review of a California Supreme Court ruling that allowed plaintiffs to pursue putative class claims alleging that grocery stores failed to inform California consumers about the artificial coloring used in the farm-raised salmon they sold. Albertson’s Inc. v. Kanter, No. 07-1327 (U.S., certiorari denied January 12, 2009).…
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FDA Seeks to Revise Recommendations for Fish Consumption During Pregnancy
FDA has reportedly sent a draft report to the White House Office of Management and Budget, seeking to reverse the government’s recommendation that women of childbearing years, pregnant or nursing mothers, infants, and children limit their fish intake due to possible mercury contamination. The agency has claimed that the positive health effects of omega-3 fatty…
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Organic Standards Board OKs Feeding Wild Fish to “Organic” Farmed Fish
Food activist Marion Nestle reports in her “What to Eat” blog that the USDA’s National Organic Standards Board has approved a rule to allow “farmed carnivorous fish to eat meal and oil derived from sustainably wild-caught fish.” The board’s decision means that wild fish cannot be classified as organic, but farm-raised fish can be considered…
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Food & Water Watch Urges Consumers to Oppose Organic Label for Fish
The public interest group Food & Water Watch has urged consumers to contact the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) to oppose the use of the “USDA Organic” label for farmed fish. Food & Water Watch has accused industrial fish farmers of attempting to “greenwash” aquaculture practices that, according to the group, disrupt ocean ecosystems “by…
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New York Times Magazine Targets Food Topics
The New York Times Magazine featured several prominent food writers in its October 12, 2008, food issue, which covered topics ranging from agricultural production to marketing strategies. Author Michael Pollan penned an open letter, titled “Farmer in Chief,” addressing the numerous food security challenges facing the next U.S. president. Pollan tells the president-elect that even…