The Spanish Agency for Food Safety and Nutrition (AESAN) affirms that “the consumption of tuna is safe” and asks “not to fall into alarmism”, after the publication of a European report, carried out by international organizations Bloom and food watchwhich reports that 57 percent of cans of tuna on the market exceed the maximum mercury limit established for fish.
AESAN sources point to Europa Press that the “report deals with a well-known problem that has been the subject of study and evaluation by health authorities”, and as a consequence the maximum limits and current consumption recommendations are established.
Regarding the criticism about the different mercury limit in tuna (1 mg/kg) compared to other fish (0.3 mg/kg), they remember that “the reason for establishing a different level for tuna “It is due to the size and type of feeding of these fish and is supported by the levels found in the samples analyzed.”
“A maximum limit cannot be established below the value found in the samples, since it is not possible to take any action to reduce the level present in the fish once caught,” the same sources point out.
Regarding the lack of control, the agency that depends on the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, remembers that Last year in Spain, 4,021 inspections were carried out in manufacturers and packagers of fishing products, “in order to verify compliance with regulations on food safety, resulting in compliance with food regulations in 90.43% of the inspections carried out in this sector” .
Likewise, they reiterate that the consumption of fish It is “safe and beneficial for health”and the “healthy and sustainable” dietary recommendations of the AESAN establish a consumption of fish (alternating white and blue) of between 3 and 4 servings per week.
Finally, given the possibility that there is an excess of mercury in the cans sold in Spanish supermarkets, they affirm that the AESAN “has never observed” a higher level of mercury in canned tuna. “In fact, the concentration factors that we use include a factor of 1 applicable to canned tuna for mercury,” they conclude.
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