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Monday, June 30, 2014
Monday, June 23, 2014
Imported Chinese Tilapia Are Raised on Feces
Small farms, high demands and lax oversight are inspiring fish farmers in China and Southeast Asia to feed their fish, especially tilapia, with animal feces.
In many cases, fish farmed in Asia and imported to the US have been raised on diets of chicken and pig feces.
Tilapia is a flat, white fish that comes in nearly a hundred different species, is cheap to raise, easy to cook and recently became the fourth most-commonly consumed fish in the United States, behind shrimp, tuna and salmon. About 82 percent of the United States’ tilapia comes from China, according to USDA documents. But a simple online search of the subject reveals numerous alarming accusations involving Asian fish — particularly tilapia — being raised on diets of animal manure, and thus turning into magnets for food-borne illness. MSN News spoke with a leading food-safety scientist who said that, in fact, Chinese tilapia’s reputation for being unsafe to eat is quite well-deserved.
“While there are some really good aquaculture ponds in Asia, in many of these ponds — or really in most of these ponds — it’s typical to use untreated chicken manure as the primary nutrition,” Michael Doyle, director of the Center for Food Safety at the University of Georgia said. “In some places, like Thailand for example, they will just put the chickens over the pond and they just poop right in the pond.”
Asked to estimate what percentage of Chinese tilapia are raised using animal feces as food, Doyle said “I’d say roughly 50 percent.”
Feeding fish animal feces makes them highly susceptible to bacterial infections like salmonella and E.coli, Doyle said. Furthermore, he said that the large amount of antibiotics that are given to the fish to ward off infections makes the strains of salmonella and E.coli that the fish do catch extremely hard to eliminate.
“It’s incredible to see how much of these antibiotics are applied, and they leave large residues of antibiotics in the ponds,” Doyle said. “We have multiple antibiotic-resistant strains of salmonella coming in with these fish.”
Farmed fish now more common than farmed beef
Last month it was announced that farmed fish had overtaken farmed beef in terms of worldwide production for the first time in recorded history. This watershed moment for human food consumption was made possible by a vast network of fish-farming operations that allow enormous quantities of seafood to be raised in a minimal area and with minimal resources.
According to reports, in China and other Asian countries like Vietnam and Thailand, intense demand for farmed fish and cutthroat competition among farmers drives many of these farmers to cut corners. Feeding the fish with pig and chicken feces is much cheaper than using standard fish food.
An explosive Bloomberg News story published in October of last year and headlined “Asian Seafood Raised on Pig Feces Approved for U.S. Consumers” revealed in graphic detail fish farms and packing plants in China and Vietnam that are rife with filth and disease, and U.S. inspectors doing what appeared to be a poor job of stopping the tainted fish from entering the food supply. According to the piece, 27 percent of seafood consumed in in the United States comes from China, and yet the FDA only inspects 2.7 percent of the fish that gets imported. Of the fish inspected, the FDA has reportedly rejected 820 Chinese seafood shipments since 2007, including 187 that contained tilapia.
FDA defends inspections
In response to questions from MSN News about imported Asian seafood, the FDA defended its practices in an emailed statement, which reads as follows:
“The FDA’s priority is to ensure that both domestic and imported seafood sold in the United States is safe. The agency uses a multifaceted and risk-informed seafood safety program that relies on various measures of compliance. For imported seafood, these measures include inspecting foreign processing facilities, sampling seafood offered for import into the United States, domestic surveillance sampling of imported products, inspections of seafood importers, evaluations of filers of seafood products, foreign country program assessments, and information shared from our international partners and FDA overseas offices.”
“Seafood processors and aquaculture farmers are required to have controls in place to keep hazards out of seafood. The FDA conducts targeted risk-based testing, taking action when it finds violations.”
Despite the FDA’s assurances, Doyle said he recommends consumers pay attention to the country of origin of their seafood, which grocery stores are required by law to display.
“Personally, I always stick to seafood that’s caught in the Gulf of Mexico,” Doyle said.
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UPDATE: Pressed for more details on whether seafood imported from Asia receives, or deserves to receive, more scrutiny than seafood from other regions, FDA spokesperson Theresa Eisenman flatly denied that the widespread practice of feeding feces to farmed fish occurs.
“We are not aware of evidence to support the claim that this practice is occurring in China,” Eisenman wrote to MSN News. “Both domestic and imported seafood products are required to meet the same food safety standards. If FDA had information that an aquaculture product was raised in a manner that would violate FDA’s food safety requirements, that product would not be allowed entry into the United States.”
Eisenman wrote that as far as her agency is concerned, the only food-safety issue specific to Chinese seafood has been the types and levels of antibiotics used on the fish. An official FDA “Import Alert” was issued on June 27, 2013, that names China as having frequently used potentially carcinogenic antibiotics on its fish farms. The alert vows that the agency will stop any shipments of fish that contain antibiotics like malachite green, nitrofurans,fluoroquinolones, and gentian violet.
Why You Should Never Eat Tilapia: Eating Tilapia is Worse Than Eating Bacon
Tilapia has become the ubiquitous fish in America today. It’s cheap, not “fishy” tasting, boneless and skinless, and is hard to mess up by overcooking, which is a problem with many other fish varieties.
However, the tilapia we’re eating is almost entirely a farmed fish, meaning you cannot find wild tilapia in any grocery store or on any restaurant menu. And the farming is usually done on an industrial scale, with thousands of fish being harvested every day. Their feed is not natural — in the wild, tilapia would eat algae and lake plants, but the farms fatten up the fish on GMO corn and soy pellets. The amount of healthful fish oils in these creatures is almost non-existent, negating the main reason why fish is so good for us.
We all have the notion that eating fish would be the better option over bacon when it comes to health. And the truth is, it really is! Fish is a low fat, high protein food that has a range of health benefits. However, given what we know of fish and its sources today, we may have to re-examine this statement.
Fish can either be one of the best foods for you or detrimental to your health depending on where it is sourced. There is a world of difference between fish that is caught in the wild, farm-bred or farm-raised fish. The most common farm-raised fish are: salmon, tilapia, sea bass, catfish, and cod.
So why would farm raised fish be toxic to our health? What are the dangers of eating farm-raised fish? We’ll answer all of those queries below!
Please read about Imported Chinese Tilapia Are Raised on Feces
Why Farm-Raised Fish is So Bad for You
Recent Studies have found that farm-raised Tilapia may cause more inflammation –
Farm-raised tilapia has always been a popular source for fish, not only because it is widely available in the US, but it is also very inexpensive. However, before you stock up on Tilapia, you may want to know about its correlation to inflammation. Recent studies have concluded that eating Tilapia may worsen inflammation that can lead to heart disease, arthritis, asthma and a world of other serious health problems. People who resort to eating more fish as a way to get their dose of omega-3-fatty-acids and lessen their risk of heart attacks may want to hold off on the tilapia. In fact, scientists have found that the inflammatory potential of tilapia is far greater than that of a hamburger or pork bacon!
Farmed salmon may have at least 10 times the amount of cancer causing organic pollutants compared to the wild variety –
This can most likely be attributed to the feeds that are used on farm raised fish. If you knew what went into the feeds of farm raised fish you would be horrified. Apparently, chicken feces is one of the main ingredients that go into farm fish feed. Not only that, the transfer of pig and duck waste to fish farms is also a very common practice.
Farm-bred fish have been found to have high concentrations of antibiotics and pesticides –
Where do farm-bred fish get their antibiotics? The crowded conditions of fish farms cause the fish to be more susceptible to disease. To keep them alive, farm owners give antibiotics to the fish to stave off disease. Farm-bred fish are also treated with pesticides to combat sea lice.2 The pesticides used to treat these fish are so deadly that they have been caused to kill wild salmon that are accidentally exposed to them. These pesticides are also eventually released in the ocean where they get into the bodies and systems of other marine life.
Farm-bred fish also have lower levels of healthy nutrients-
Many of us consume fish, hoping to reap the omega-3 fatty acid benefits that come with it. However, did you know that the omega-3-acids that are found in farm-raised fish are less usable to our bodies compared to wild bred fish. Farm-raised fish also has a lower protein content. Not only that, because farm-raised fish are kept in cages, they have the tendency to be fattier, and can have a higher concentration of omega-6 acids. The problem with getting too much omega 3 and omega 6 acids is that they may cause inflammation to the body.
Farm raised tilapia fish unhealthy
Dibutylin levels, a chemical used in PVC plastics is said to be 6 times higher in farm-raised mussels compared to wild ones – Dibutylin is toxic and can impair immune system function while also contributing to inflammation. Dibutylin may be the reason as to why there is a rise in asthma, obesity, allergies and other metabolic disorders in recent years.
Dioxin levels are 11 times higher in farm-bred salmon compared to wild salmon – Dioxin is actually a very toxic chemical that can contribute to cancer and other complications. The problem with dioxin is that once it enters our system, it can take a very long time until it is let out. The half life of dioxin is about 7 to 11 years.
These are only some of the dangers that have been linked back to eating farm-raised fish. What does this tell us? The biggest lesson that we can get from this is that we should find out where our fish is coming from. Not all fish are created equal, and sad to say, farm-raised fish, instead of helping us, may even harm us.
In addition to farm-raised fish being bad for you, there is actually one other creature of the sea that is even more toxic. That creature is shrimp.
Shrimp actually holds the designation of being the dirtiest of all seafood, says Marianne Cufone director of Food and Water Watch. She says it’s hard to avoid, as 90 percent of shrimp sold in the U.S. is imported. “Imported farmed shrimp comes with a whole bevy of contaminants: antibiotics, residues from chemicals used to clean pens, filth like mouse hair, rat hair, and pieces of insects,” Cufone says. “And I didn’t even mention things like E. coli that have been detected in imported shrimp.”5
Part of this has to do with the fact that less than 2 percent of ALL imported seafood (shrimp, crab, catfish, or others) gets inspected before its sold, which is why it’s that much more important to buy domestic seafood.
Fish can be an incredible health building food if you go with wild -caught fish liked Sockeye Salmon. It’s loaded with the Omega-3 fats EPA and DHA and has incredible health benefits.
Plus, Salmon contains astaxanthin which has been proven to be more powerful than almost any other antioxidant at absorbing free radicals. If you are not consuming Salmon or another wild caught fish during the week then I highly recommend you consume a high quality fish oil with astaxanthin or fermented cod liver oil.
When I eat out, I also ask my server if the fish is farm-raised or wild caught. Most servers know this answer or can quickly go ask the head chef. As a quick rule of thumb for salmon, if it’s Pacific or Alaskan, it’s most likely wild caught, if it’s Atlantic salmon, it is almost always farm-raised.
References:
ScienceDaily. “Tilapia contains potentially dangerous fatty acid ratio.” Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center. (accessed 11 July 2008)
Love, David C. Environmental Science Technology, 2011, Veterinary Drug Residues in Seafood Inspected by the European Union, United States, Canada, and Japan from 2000 to 2009. 45(17)7232–7240.
New York Times. Another Side of Tilapia The Perfect Factory Fish. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/02/science/earth/02Tilapia.html (accessed January 2012).
Environmental Working Group. Reports Farmed Fish PCB’s. http://www.ewg.org/reports/farmedpcbs (accessed March 2012).
www.prevention.com/food/healthy-eating-tips/12-unhealthy-fish-avoid-eating
Tuesday, June 17, 2014
Don't wash raw chicken, health experts warn
Washing chicken can spread a type of bacteria around the kitchen through the splashing of water droplets which causes food poisoning
Health experts have urged people to stop washing chicken before they cook it to avoid food poisoning.
More than two-fifths of cooks say that they wash chicken as part of their food preparations, but the Food Standards Agency has issued a call to the public to stop the practice.
The FSA said that it can spread a type of bacteria around the kitchen through the splashing of water droplets.
Campylobacter bacteria is responsible for the majority of cases of food poisoning - with around 280,000 people affected across the UK each year. The FSA said four out of every five cases are caused by contaminated chicken.
While most cases result in people suffering from abdominal pain, severe diarrhoea and vomiting, some cases can lead to more significant health problems.
The FSA has now urged cooks to stop washing chicken before cooking it, saying the practice can spread campylobacter bacteria on to hands, work surfaces, clothing and cooking equipment through splashed water.
''Although people tend to follow recommended practice when handling poultry, such as washing hands after touching raw chicken and making sure it is thoroughly cooked, our research has found that washing raw chicken is also common practice,'' said FSA chief executive Catherine Brown.
''That's why we're calling on people to stop washing raw chicken and also raising awareness of the risks of contracting campylobacter as a result of cross-contamination.
''Campylobacter is a serious issue. Not only can it cause severe illness and death, but it costs the economy hundreds of millions of pounds a year as a result of sickness absence and the burden on the NHS.
''Telling the public about the risks and how to avoid them is just one part of our plan to tackle campylobacter.
"We are leading a campaign that brings together the whole food chain, which includes working with farmers and producers to reduce rates of campylobacter in flocks of broiler chickens and ensuring that slaughterhouses and processors are taking steps to minimise the levels of contamination in birds.''
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