More than half (57%) of cans of tuna consumed in the European market exceed the maximum mercury limit established for fish (0.3 mg/kg), warns a report carried out by the international organizations Bloom and Foodwatch, which denounces that this limit is higher, 1 mg/kgfor fresh and canned tuna.
“More than one can in two exceeds the maximum concentration most restrictive mercury limit defined for seafood products (0.3 mg/kg). If this most restrictive maximum concentration of mercury were also applied to tuna, the sale of more than one can in two would be prohibited,” warns the report, which has randomly analyzed 148 canned tuna in five European countries (Germany, England, Spain, France and Italy).
In addition, of the 148 cans analyzeda can of the ‘Petit Navire’ brand, purchased at a Carrefour City store in Paris, contains a record concentration of 3.9 mg/kg This represents almost 4 times the concentration maximum of fresh tuna and 13 times the restriction of 0.3 mg/kg. Meanwhile, of the 30 that come from Spain, a can of the Carrefour brand purchased in a supermarket in Valencia had a record level of 2.5 mg/kg, that is, more than 8 times higher than the limit.
According to them, this report reveals a “real public health scandal” on the contamination of tunas by mercury. Although this concerns all or almost all tuna caught, BLOOM wants to emphasize that, “in addition to mercury contamination in the environment, the main reason for this health problem lies in the industrialization of said fishing and the overconsumption of tuna that drift”.
On the other hand, for obvious health reasons described in this research, but also due to the “disastrous” environmental, social and economic impacts of industrial fishing described in previous reports in their ‘TunaGate’ series, they consider that tuna “it can no longer be considered a basic food.”
After 18 months of investigation, BLOOM reveals how, since the 1970s, public authorities and tuna lobbies “have consciously chosen to favor the economic interests of industrial tuna fishing to the detriment of the health of hundreds of millions of tuna consumers in Europe.
In the report they recall that canned tuna “benefits from additional legal measures and it is necessary that they can legally reach concentrations nine times higher than the maximum limit for other species”: the current standard applies to fresh tuna and not to the finished product. Now, he points out, “Canned tuna” loses a lot of water compared to fresh tuna and mercury, Therefore, it is two to three times more concentrated in a preserved fish than in a piece of fresh fish. By consuming canned tuna as is, it is not rehydrated and, consequently, the mercury concentration is maintained.”
“No method taking into account all the consequences on the health of adults and children has been used to determine mercury concentrations in fish,” he laments, recalling that “pets are more protected from mercury than babies,” since the thresholds applied to cans for pets are higher. binding than those used for human consumption.
“Mercury is a powerful neurotoxin that is fixed in the brain and is very difficult to eliminate. Everyone knows it,” explains Julie Guterman, BLOOM researcher and lead author of the survey. “I found it hard to believe that industrialists and politicians could knowingly opt for criminal cynicism, but I had to face the facts. Having acted before setting the regulatory thresholds means that the Manufacturers and retailers can now sell contaminated products legally. Making people believe that eating tuna is safe from a health point of view is an unforgivable lie with dramatic consequences,” he warns.
Measures proposed by the report
In his opinion it is necessary set a mercury thresholdrated as acceptable, three times higher for tuna than for other species of fish, such as cod, without the slightest health justification, demonstrates that “this danger threshold has not been established to protect human health, but rather solely to protect the financial interests of the tuna industry”, since mercury is no less toxic in it than in any other fish.
Given this situation, and considering that tuna is the best-selling fish in Europe, calls on distributors to commit to marketing only tuna that does not exceed the most protective possible mercury standard (0.3 mg/kg; the European Commission should also take conservative measures for tuna in line with the highest maximum concentration strict that they previously set for some fish: 0.3 mg/kg; and the controls of the entire tuna production chain must be reinforced, both at the public and private levels, with the purpose of truly protecting health standards. public are respected.
Besides, consider that the national authorities They must carry out massive information campaigns in this regard so that citizens know the risks of consuming these products, especially for the most sensitive public (pregnant women, children, etc.), applying a label on the products. predatory fish and products that contain them to clearly warn of the health danger posed by ingesting mercury.
In the medium term, it calls for a change in European regulation 915/2023, which sets the maximum concentrations of mercury in food products, and must be updated, in collaboration with the elected members of the European Parliament; Due to the toxicity of mercury, ‘tolerable weekly intake’ (IST) should be removed and consumption recommendations should be re-evaluated; and European Commission committees such as SCoPAFF (Standing Committee on Plant Animal Food and Feed), which have decision-making power on key issues such as pesticide residues, GMOs and contaminants in food, must demonstrate complete transparency and must make your decisions following a democratic process.
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