Scary Stuff Just Under the Surface - Salmon Farming Industry Secrets
Looking strictly at the price tag, many consumers may believe wild-caught salmon to be nothing more than a rip off.
Why pay premium prices when you can get the farmed stuff for a fraction of the cost? Perhaps it would change more than a few seafood shoppers' tunes to know that the Environmental Working Group, based on health standards laid out by the Environmental Protection Agency, warns against eating more than one serving of farmed salmon per month.
It may seem improbable that grocery stores are selling anything that can be hazardous to human health if consumed more than once every 30 days or so, but that is the apparent case with farm-raised salmon.
Here's a look at what makes farm raised salmon so dangerous to eat.
Salmon are coveted nutritionally for their mega doses of omega-3 fatty acids, which are heart and body healthy for humans.
Unfortunately, farm raised salmon has far fewer omega-3s and far more omega-6s, a run of the mill, unhealthy fat.
Combine this with the fact that the "protein pellet" fish food that farm grown salmon are fed cause their overall fat content to be around 30% higher than that of wild-caught salmon, and the protein benefits of eating salmon plummet.
While high fat content is a reason to buy wild-caught salmon, it certainly is no cause for the Environmental Working Group to fear over consumption of farm raised salmon.
The really scary stuff comes from what the salmon farmers are inadvertently feeding you via the chemical cocktail that goes into keeping farm grown salmon "healthy.
" Levels of chemicals like dioxins, PCBs, fire retardants, pesticides, sea lice pesticides, antibiotics, copper sulfate, and more are found in farm raised salmon in off-the-charts proportions.
Anybody looking to avoid eating cancer-causing PCBs might want to pass on farm raised salmon for dinner this evening.
When consuming fresh, wild-caught salmon from the icy waters of Alaska, seafood lovers covet the beautiful colors ranging from deep reds to oranges and pinks, the flavors that pop, and the firm texture.
If you have never noticed the distinctive gray color when consuming farm raised salmon, it's probably because farmers have gone to great lengths to hide this unappetizing side effect of being raised in captivity.
Canthaxanthis, a chemical with retinal damage listed as one of its own side effects, is used to give farmed salmon that wild red coloring that makes it appear delicious and fresh.
It's a shame that wild-caught salmon carries the higher price tag, but the salmon farming industry is largely to blame.
Not only does their mass production of an inferior product drive down prices, but damages the immediate environment, making natural populations dwindle.
Salmon farms are hotbeds for disease and infection, and such ailments can spread into populations passing through the surrounding waters.
In the end, it will be up to the customer to help improve the price of wild-caught salmon by buying smart, sustainable, wild seafood, instead of supporting the salmon farming industry.
Why pay premium prices when you can get the farmed stuff for a fraction of the cost? Perhaps it would change more than a few seafood shoppers' tunes to know that the Environmental Working Group, based on health standards laid out by the Environmental Protection Agency, warns against eating more than one serving of farmed salmon per month.
It may seem improbable that grocery stores are selling anything that can be hazardous to human health if consumed more than once every 30 days or so, but that is the apparent case with farm-raised salmon.
Here's a look at what makes farm raised salmon so dangerous to eat.
Salmon are coveted nutritionally for their mega doses of omega-3 fatty acids, which are heart and body healthy for humans.
Unfortunately, farm raised salmon has far fewer omega-3s and far more omega-6s, a run of the mill, unhealthy fat.
Combine this with the fact that the "protein pellet" fish food that farm grown salmon are fed cause their overall fat content to be around 30% higher than that of wild-caught salmon, and the protein benefits of eating salmon plummet.
While high fat content is a reason to buy wild-caught salmon, it certainly is no cause for the Environmental Working Group to fear over consumption of farm raised salmon.
The really scary stuff comes from what the salmon farmers are inadvertently feeding you via the chemical cocktail that goes into keeping farm grown salmon "healthy.
" Levels of chemicals like dioxins, PCBs, fire retardants, pesticides, sea lice pesticides, antibiotics, copper sulfate, and more are found in farm raised salmon in off-the-charts proportions.
Anybody looking to avoid eating cancer-causing PCBs might want to pass on farm raised salmon for dinner this evening.
When consuming fresh, wild-caught salmon from the icy waters of Alaska, seafood lovers covet the beautiful colors ranging from deep reds to oranges and pinks, the flavors that pop, and the firm texture.
If you have never noticed the distinctive gray color when consuming farm raised salmon, it's probably because farmers have gone to great lengths to hide this unappetizing side effect of being raised in captivity.
Canthaxanthis, a chemical with retinal damage listed as one of its own side effects, is used to give farmed salmon that wild red coloring that makes it appear delicious and fresh.
It's a shame that wild-caught salmon carries the higher price tag, but the salmon farming industry is largely to blame.
Not only does their mass production of an inferior product drive down prices, but damages the immediate environment, making natural populations dwindle.
Salmon farms are hotbeds for disease and infection, and such ailments can spread into populations passing through the surrounding waters.
In the end, it will be up to the customer to help improve the price of wild-caught salmon by buying smart, sustainable, wild seafood, instead of supporting the salmon farming industry.
