Dietitian Answers "Organic" Salmon Question

Q. For about a year or so, I have seen “organic” farm-raised salmon sold at some grocery stores. I have been told it’s really not any better for you than regular farm-raised salmon. Is it?

A. As the saying goes, "don't judge a book by its cover." Organic farm-raised salmon may sound "nicer," but it may be the same as regular farm-raised salmon.

Some of the normal guidelines for the raising of organic animals are:

• No use of chemical pesticides or fertilizers in the animals' feed.
• No use of hormones or antibiotics.
• No genetic modifications to the animals or their feed.
• Comfortable living situations for the animals, with access to the outdoors.
• The farm must be certified organic by an accredited certifying agent.
• The processing plants and handlers between the farm and the consumer must be certified as well.

According to various ecological Web sites, a few additional guidelines likely would apply specifically to organically raised salmon:

• Their feed, including any fish meal used, would have to be certified organic.
• No pink pigment chemicals would be added to the feed (a typical trick used by salmon farmers to make up for the lack of pink crustaceans in farmed salmon's diet).
• Chemicals would not be used to clean contaminants off the organic-farmed salmon's net pens.

Note all those uses of the word "would." That's because the USDA organic standard does not apply to fish.

So, chances are, without clear regulation, you are buying a product similar to a regular farm-raised fish.

There are also health concerns surrounding farm-raised fish. Farmed salmon hold about two to 10 times the levels of PCBs, DDT, dioxins, pesticides and other suspected carcinogens that most wild salmon do. This is due to their rich diet of oily fish in which these contaminants seem to be concentrated.

Read the full article in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.