More than half (57%) of cans of tuna consumed on the European market exceed the established maximum mercury limit for fish (0.3 mg/kg), warns a report produced by the international organizations Bloom and Foodwatch, which denounces this limit is higher, 1 mg/kgfor fresh and canned tuna.
“More than one in two cans 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 in two cans would be prohibited,” warns the report which randomly analyzed 148 cans of tuna in five European countries (Germany, England , Spain, France and Italy).
In addition, from 148 cans analyzeda “Petit Navire” brand can, purchased in a Carrefour City store in Paris, contains a record concentration of 3.9 mg/kg This represents almost 4 times the concentration maximum fresh tuna and 13 times the restriction of 0.3 mg/kg. Meanwhile, among the 30 from Spain, a Carrefour brand can purchased in a Valencia supermarket had a record level of 2.5 mg/kg, more than 8 times the limit.
According to them, this report reveals a “a real public health scandal” on mercury contamination of tuna. Although this concerns all or almost all tuna caught, BLOOM would like to point out 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 which drifts”.
On the other hand, for obvious health reasons described in this research, but also because of the “disastrous” environmental, social and economic impacts of industrial fishing described in previous reports in their “TunaGate” series, they consider that tuna “we can no longer consider it a staple 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 populations”. 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 it can legally reach concentrations nine times higher than the maximum limit for other species”: the current standard applies to tuna fresh and not the finished product. Now, he emphasizes, “Canned tuna” loses a lot of water compared to fresh tuna and mercury, It is therefore two to three times more concentrated in canned fish than in a piece of fresh fish. By consuming canned tuna as is, it is not rehydrated and, therefore, the mercury concentration is maintained. »
“No method taking into account all the consequences on the health of adults and children were used to determine mercury concentrations in fish”, he laments, recalling that “pets are better protected from mercury than babies”, since the thresholds applied to pet boxes are more restrictive than those used for human consumption.
“Mercury is a powerful neurotoxin that binds to the brain and is very difficult to eliminate. Everyone knows that,” explains Julie Guterman, BLOOM researcher and lead author of the investigation. “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 legally sell contaminated products. To 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
According to him, it is necessary set a mercury thresholddeemed 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 was not established to protect human health, but only to protect the financial interests “of the tuna industry”, since mercury is no less toxic than in any other fish.
Faced with this situation, and considering that tuna is the best-selling fish in Europe, calls on retailers to commit to only marketing tuna that does not exceed the most protective mercury standard possible (0.3 mg/kg; the European Commission should also take conservative measures for tuna, in line with the maximum concentration the strictest that it had previously set for certain fish: 0.3 mg/kg and controls of the entire tuna production chain must be strengthened, both at public and private level, with the aim of truly protective standards. public health are respected.
In addition, consider that the national authorities They must carry out massive information campaigns in this regard so that citizens are aware of the risks linked to the consumption of these products, particularly for the most sensitive public (pregnant women, children, etc.), by applying a label on the products. predatory fish and products containing it to clearly warn of the health danger posed by ingesting mercury.
In the medium term, it calls for an evolution of European regulation 915/2023, which sets maximum concentrations of mercury in food products, and must be updated, in collaboration with elected representatives of the European Parliament; Due to the toxicity of mercury, “tolerable weekly dose” (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 total transparency and must make your decisions. following a democratic process.
