While seafood is usually touted as a health food high in omega-3 fatty acids helping boost brain and heart health, recent scathing reports paint a less desirable picture of America’s fish tainted with waste, chemicals, and antibiotics. Supermarket cases and restaurants make our seafood look presentable, but is it really safe to eat?

A recent Bloomberg Businessweek story reports unsanitary conditions for many Asian seafood exporters, along with government lagging in its ability to clean it up.

The 13 Worst U.S. Foodborne Illness Outbreaks

A Closer Look at Aquaculture

About 86 percent of our seafood is imported, and half of that is from aquaculture—fish farms. Most aquaculture imports are shrimp, tilapia, Atlantic salmon, and shellfish, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

In Vietnam, shrimp is stored in dirty plastic tubs, covered in ice made from tap water that could be contaminated with bacteria. Vietnam ships more than 100 million pounds of shrimp to the United States each year or about 8 percent of all the shrimp we eat.

In China, many fish farms reportedly use pig manure as feed, which contains salmonella and makes tilapia more susceptible to disease.

In addition, “shrimp farms in South and Southeast Asia are essentially factory farms, with all that implies—including antibiotic overuse,” according to a Wired piece published earlier this year. Many of the antibiotics in these fish farms are banned for use in the U.S.

The 10 Worst Disease Outbreaks in U.S. History

FDA Only Tests Small Sample of Imports

While the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is responsible for ensuring the safety of our seafood, they may not be bringing their A-game to the task: Bloomberg reports that only 2.7 percent of all seafood imports are inspected by the FDA.

In 2008, FDA Deputy Director of Food Safety, Don Kraemer testified before Congress, summarizing the issue:

As the aquaculture industry continues to grow, concern about the use of unapproved drugs and unsafe chemicals in aquaculture operations has increased significantly. There is clear scientific evidence that the use of unapproved antibiotics and other drugs and chemicals, such as malachite green, nitrofurans, fluoroquinolones, and gentian violet, can result in the presence of residues in the edible portions of aquacultured seafood.

Even after this testimony, a 2011 GOA report found that the FDA tested about 0.1 percent of all imported seafood products for drug residues. To put this in perspective: out of 2.5 million metric tons of imported shrimp, the FDA tested only 34 samples for nitrofurans. Even worse: six of these samples came back positive.

The FDA also inspects processing facilities overseas, but that program too seems halfhearted at best. Only 1.5 percent of seafood facilities had been inspected, according to the GOA report.

Here’s a closer look at what it means for seafood-lovers.

The Impact of Tainted Fish And What to Do

A recent study by The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said a quarter of the food-borne illness outbreaks from imported food involved seafood. That’s significantly more than the next food type on the list.

That doesn’t mean you should avoid seafood altogether. There are some steps you can take now to continue to enjoy safe, healthy fish and shrimp. Here are some tips:

The best course of action for consumers could be to avoid farmed fish. Look for sustainable seafood, wild caught, or eco-labeled.
Don’t be afraid to ask your local seafood provider questions and create dialogue.
Use seafood guides to stay informed and make smart choices in your area.
Check out these organizations:

The INCOFISH Project has a summary of international seafood guides and a searchable database to look up seafood by name, country or continent.

The Seafood Choices Alliance works with conservation groups worldwide and offers seafood recommendation guides, aquaculture and fisheries resources and links to conservation organizations working on seafood and other issues.

The National Resources Defense Council offers a Sustainable Seafood Guide with tips for making smarter seafood choices.

Fishwise is a sustainable seafood consultancy that promotes the health and recovery of ocean ecosystems by providing resources for consumers and industry leaders

http://health.yahoo.net/experts/dayinhealth/seafood-safety-tainted-...

Views: 366

Replies to This Discussion

Pig Poop, Radiation, Oil... I think I'll stick to chicken. :)

RSS

"Destroying the New World Order"

TOP CONTENT THIS WEEK

THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING THE SITE!

mobile page

12160.info/m

12160 Administrators

 

Latest Activity

Doc Vega commented on Doc Vega's blog post Was a Planned Civil War Averted?
"cheeki kea, you are spot on. The old guard is about to collapse! "
13 hours ago
Doc Vega commented on Doc Vega's blog post Alligator Creek and a Japanese Massacre
"cheeki kea, the Japanese thought they could expand their empire and exact enough damage on the US…"
13 hours ago
Michelle Reichert favorited Burbia's video
yesterday
cheeki kea posted a video

NEW DOCUMENTARY - Dissent Into Madness

TRANSCRIPT AND SOURCES: https://www.corbettreport.com/dissent-into-madness/What if the delusions of the dissidents are in fact real? What if their paranoid f...
yesterday
cheeki kea commented on Doc Vega's blog post Alligator Creek and a Japanese Massacre
"Japan served themselves up no favours by inching out into the South Pacific as they soon found out.…"
yesterday
cheeki kea commented on Doc Vega's blog post Was a Planned Civil War Averted?
"Their plans did not work out because we are the news now, and the old news is the enemy. "
yesterday
Doc Vega posted a blog post

Alligator Creek and a Japanese Massacre

The year is 1942 just a few months after the Pearl Harbor disaster. Despite losses suffered by the…See More
Tuesday
Doc Vega commented on Burbia's video
Thumbnail

CHARLIE KIRK WAS CNP! JOSH REEVES 9-11-25

"With all due respect this guy comes off as a drunken asshole and he didn't even  know who…"
Monday
Doc Vega posted a blog post

Was a Planned Civil War Averted?

We are living in sadly historic times where good and evil are in battle all the time. Not that this…See More
Sunday
Sandy posted a photo
Sunday
Less Prone posted a video

President Trump addresses U.N. General Assembly - FULL SPEECH

President Donald Trump speaks at the United Nations General Assembly in New York City.Full video here: https://www.c-span.org/event/white-house-event/preside...
Sunday
Burbia posted a video

2 MIN AGO: Western Provinces MAJOR New WEXIT Announcement - Canada EXPLODES!

In a stunning turn of events, Western provinces just made a major new WEXIT announcement — and it’s shaking the foundations of Canadian unity. Is Western sep...
Saturday
Doc Vega posted a blog post

How You Provoke a Civil War

In the world of counter intelligence which is simply one aspect of many pertaining to asymmetrical…See More
Sep 26
Burbia commented on Burbia's video
Thumbnail

CHARLIE KIRK WAS CNP! JOSH REEVES 9-11-25

"I don't follow as much with Josh Reeves than I use to. He seems to be a documentary producing…"
Sep 25
Burbia posted a video

CHARLIE KIRK WAS CNP! JOSH REEVES 9-11-25

DONATE-paypal-dayglow76@yahoo.comCashapp-reevesradioVenmo-Josh-Reeves-61FILMS AND AUDIOBOOKS DOWNLOAD STORE-https://store.payloadz.com/results/242828-josh-re...
Sep 25
Doc Vega posted blog posts
Sep 25
tjdavis posted a video

CHARLIE KIRK VIDEO THAT KEEPS GETTING REMOVED OFF OF SEVERAL PLATFORMS

I had not planned to share this publicly, but I believe Advar, who spoke with Charlie Kirk while I was very ill, would have wanted me to. After my interview ...
Sep 25
pohonemas33 team commented on Chris of the family Masters's photo
Thumbnail

Gold-Coast-Message

"untuk bermain slot, kamu cukup kunjungi situs kacang99 pasti langsung gacor"
Sep 24
Doc Vega posted blog posts
Sep 24
Burbia posted a blog post

Former President Trump?

When was this article written? It is attributed to Victor Davis Hanson. He is a Fellow at Hoover…See More
Sep 22

© 2025   Created by truth.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service

content and site copyright 12160.info 2007-2019 - all rights reserved. unless otherwise noted