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Fish Safety and Improper Marketing

in The Too Busy to Diet Blog on February 14, 2014

On a recent trip to Marco Island, Florida we found that there are restaurants offering fish that are being improperly marketed and could possibly present health risks. Food establishments are telling customers that the fish are either local or from a spot in the United States. In reality, the fish is coming from along the Mekong River in Viet Nam.

The first day of our trip, our group had taken a walk and decided to stop for lunch at a luncheon spot. We ordered grouper and it was delicious!

Two days later we stopped for lunch at the same place to order the grouper again. Grouper was not available so we were offered basa fish that was called local catfish. After we had eaten half of our sandwiches, my husband decided to Google basa fish. He found that the fish is from Viet Nam. It is farm raised along the Mekong River that many studies consider one of the most polluted in the world.

Later that evening we went to a restaurant on the Isle of Capri. We were offered the special, white roughy that we were told was a white fish found on the northeast coast. Again, my husband Goggled white roughy and what did he find? White roughy is BASA fish! Obviously, none of us ordered the white roughy and we Googled all of the fish we ordered.

There appears to be a controversy regarding the safety of basa fish. One Australian group, The Australian Quarantine and Inspection service surveyed 100 fish from the Mekong River. They found that they contained 14 antimicrobial chemicals at low levels that could cause illness in humans. Other Australian environmental scientists, who monitor water quality at over 50 sites, state that in the last 15 years there has been no serious contamination in the river.

Basa is banned in Mississippi and Alabama because they have found illegal antibiotics in the fish sampled. Some feel that this may be due to the fact that these 2 states have multi-million dollar catfish industries that compete with basa fish.
The Vancouver Aquariums Ocean Wise Program and the U.S. Monterey Bay Aquarium are both concerned about open cage aquaculture with fish like basa that have been associated with disease outbreaks and infection in humans.

So, how does a registered dietitian/ nutritionist feel about this?

I feel the deceptive nature of this fish marketing demands a closer look at its safety. The fish is sold at a fraction of the cost at the grocery store and restaurants and food establishments are selling it at costs similar to that of more expensive fish. Consumers, particularly the elderly, chronically ill, children, and pregnant women need to be especially careful with the risk of contaminants. I would vote NO to the use of basa and YES to checking the fish you will order before buying or eating out.
Jacqueline King, MS, RDN, CDE, FADA

Try our book, Too Busy to Diet at www.toobusytodietbook.com. Sold at Amazon in paperback and Kindle editions.

Fish Safety and Improper Marketing

On a recent trip to Marco Island, Florida we found that there are restaurants offering fish that are being improperly marketed and could possibly present health risks. Food establishments are telling customers that the fish are either local or from a spot in the United States. In reality, the fish is coming from along the Mekong River in Viet Nam.

The first day we ate out for lunch at the Marco Island Resident’s Beach. Our group had taken a walk and decided to stop for lunch at this luncheon spot. We ordered grouper that day at the spot and it was very good.

Two days later we stopped for lunch at the same place to order the grouper again. Grouper was not available so we were offered basa fish that was called local catfish. After we had eaten half of our sandwiches, my husband decided to Google basa fish. He found that the fish is from Viet Nam. It is farm raised along the Mekong River that many studies consider one of the most polluted in the world.

Later that evening we went to a restaurant on the Isle of Capri. We were offered the special that was white roughy that we were told was a white fish found on the north- east coast. Again, my husband Goggled white roughy and what did he find? White roughy is BASA fish! Obviously, none of us ordered the white roughy and we Googled all of the fish we ordered.

There appears to be a controversy regarding the safety of basa fish. One Australian group, The Australian Quarantine and Inspection service surveyed 100 fish from the Mekong River. They found that they contained 14 antimicrobial chemicals at low levels that could cause illness in humans. Other Australian environmental scientists, who monitor water quality at over 50 sites, state that in the last 15 years there has been no serious contamination in the river.

Basa is banned in Mississippi and Alabama because they have found illegal antibiotics in the fish sampled. Some feel that this may be due to the fact that these 2 states have multi-million dollar catfish industries that compete with basa fish.
The Vancouver Aquariums Ocean Wise Program and the U.S. Monterey Bay Aquarium are both concerned about open cage aquaculture with fish like basa that have been associated with disease outbreaks and infection in humans.

So, how does a registered dietitian/ nutritionist feel about this?

I feel the deceptive nature of this fish marketing demands a closer look at its safety. The fish is sold at a fraction of the cost at the grocery store and restaurants and food establishments are selling it at costs similar to that of more expensive fish. Consumers, particularly the elderly, chronically ill, children, and pregnant women need to be especially careful with the risk of contaminants. I would vote NO to the use of basa and YES to checking the fish you will order before buying or eating out.
Jacqueline King, MS, RDN, CDE, FADA

Try our book, Too Busy to Diet at www.toobusytodietbook.com. Sold at Amazon in paperback and Kindle editions.

Fish Safety and Improper Marketing

On a recent trip to Marco Island, Florida we found that there are restaurants offering fish that are being improperly marketed and could possibly present health risks. Food establishments are telling customers that the fish are either local or from a spot in the United States. In reality, the fish is coming from along the Mekong River in Viet Nam.

The first day we ate out for lunch at the Marco Island Resident’s Beach. Our group had taken a walk and decided to stop for lunch at this luncheon spot. We ordered grouper that day at the spot and it was very good.

Two days later we stopped for lunch at the same place to order the grouper again. Grouper was not available so we were offered basa fish that was called local catfish. After we had eaten half of our sandwiches, my husband decided to Google basa fish. He found that the fish is from Viet Nam. It is farm raised along the Mekong River that many studies consider one of the most polluted in the world.

Later that evening we went to a restaurant on the Isle of Capri. We were offered the special that was white roughy that we were told was a white fish found on the north- east coast. Again, my husband Goggled white roughy and what did he find? White roughy is BASA fish! Obviously, none of us ordered the white roughy and we Googled all of the fish we ordered.

There appears to be a controversy regarding the safety of basa fish. One Australian group, The Australian Quarantine and Inspection service surveyed 100 fish from the Mekong River. They found that they contained 14 antimicrobial chemicals at low levels that could cause illness in humans. Other Australian environmental scientists, who monitor water quality at over 50 sites, state that in the last 15 years there has been no serious contamination in the river.

Basa is banned in Mississippi and Alabama because they have found illegal antibiotics in the fish sampled. Some feel that this may be due to the fact that these 2 states have multi-million dollar catfish industries that compete with basa fish.
The Vancouver Aquariums Ocean Wise Program and the U.S. Monterey Bay Aquarium are both concerned about open cage aquaculture with fish like basa that have been associated with disease outbreaks and infection in humans.

So, how does a registered dietitian/ nutritionist feel about this?

I feel the deceptive nature of this fish marketing demands a closer look at its safety. The fish is sold at a fraction of the cost at the grocery store and restaurants and food establishments are selling it at costs similar to that of more expensive fish. Consumers, particularly the elderly, chronically ill, children, and pregnant women need to be especially careful with the risk of contaminants. I would vote NO to the use of basa and YES to checking the fish you will order before buying or eating out.
Jacqueline King, MS, RDN, CDE, FADA

Try our book, Too Busy to Diet at www.toobusytodietbook.com. Sold at Amazon in paperback and Kindle editions.