There have been reports that in order to ship out as much seafood as possible and save money, some seafood exporting companies from Asia have been caught feeding their fish pig and chicken feces.
The Dirty Truth
The situation about the state of the Asian seafood market was uncovered by reporters who found out that the FDA approves shipments that have been grown in these dreadful conditions.
Many Americans are at risk, because they eat plenty of shrimp. At the moment, Vietnam exports approximately 100 million pounds of shrimp to the United States a year, which is almost 10% of shrimp consumed by Americans each year.
This shrimp is often sorted in dirty packing areas, where trash piles up on the ground and flies swarm over the warm, uncleaned shrimp. And the transporting conditions are even worse. The shrimp is covered in ice made from water that isn’t safe for drinking.
There’s a chance that fish that comes from China could be similarly contaminated. In one tilapia farm in Chin, and probably in others, farmers feed fish with feces from pigs and geese.
And dead fish that float to the surface and contaminate the living fish nearby, are simply picked out and thrown away. Fish farmers report that it is cheaper to feed feces to fish than to use commercial fish feed.
Keeping Your Food Supply Safe
Instead of simply throwing away all the seafood in your freezer and refrigerator, take a minute to find out how you can keep your family safe. There’s no reason to avoid seafood for the rest of your life, especially because it offers many health benefits. Here are some tips that will help you eat fresh, well-fed seafood:
Stick to Wild-Caught Fish
Fish grown in a farmed environment, has higher levels of dioxins, PCBs, and heavy metals, unlike fish that is naturally caught. Wild-caught fish might cost more, but it’s worth it.
Eat Domestic
Buy fish from American fisheries to minimize your risk of eating contaminated fish and avoid the health concerns from eating fish that is shipped from overseas.
Eat Fresh
When you buy your fish, look for the ones with clean, shiny, well-colored gills. They should be quite firm—fish that have sat too long tend to be softer.
Continue consuming tasty and healthy seafood, and make sure that you follow these tips.
