Apr 29 2009
In a press release issued by the PEW Environmental Group on April 23, 2009, the group announced that they have issued a letter to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warning the acting commissioner of the potential environmental threats related to the discharge of banned drugs into the marine environment as well as the human health risk allegedly resulting from the medical treatment of farmed salmon.
Salmon of the Americas (SOTA) is obligated to correct the misleading statements made by PEW and assure consumers of the safety and significant nutritional benefits obtained from consuming farmed salmon from Chile.
Medicinal treatments for farmed salmon are only applied when absolutely necessary to treat the salmon for specific ailments and never as a preventative treatment. All treatments (the medicine / the dosage / and the duration) are prescribed, approved and administered to the salmon by and under the supervision of certified veterinarians. All treatments comply with and are controlled by the appropriate governmental organizations. A zero tolerance of antibiotic residue is mandatory in farmed salmon and extended periods of withdrawal are prescribed and monitored by the Chilean Government fisheries department (Sernapesca) and the US FDA prior to harvest and entry into the USA.
For Pew to state that consumers run a health risk by purchasing farmed salmon as a result of medicinal residue is patently false and irresponsible.
SOTA has repeatedly supported Pew's efforts to have the FDA increase their testing of imported seafood to ensure the American consumer the absolute safety of our product.
Recommendations by the American Heart Association and The Institute of Medicine of the National Academies continues to urge consumers to routinely include seafood like salmon as part of a healthy diet. Consumers can do so with absolute confidence in the safety of the product.
We urge food and science editors in North America to contact our trade association directly in regards to questions about the farmed salmon industry in Chile.
Salmon of the Americas is a trade association of salmon-producing companies in Chile, whose mission is to improve health, awareness and dining enjoyment of consumers in North America by providing timely, complete, accurate and insightful information about salmon on behalf of its members.