Monday, October 15, 2007XPENSIVESalmon More Popular than CodUnited Kingdom - Research released to coincide with National Seafood Week shows the prince of fish, salmon, is more popular than cod, stocks of which have fallen to dangerously low levels after decades of overfishing. Driving the rise in salmon eating has been a rash of positive publicity expounding the health benefits of the Omega 3 oils found in its pink flesh. As well as being high in protein, oily fish is low in potentially harmful fats found in meat with the result that salmon is the now the fastest-growing source of protein in Britain. Sales, according to the industry body Seafish!, have risen in value from 385m in 2005 to £432m this year compared to £368m for its nearest rival cod. However, the white fish continues to be number one in terms of the number of tons sold – 63,000 tons in 2007 compared with 46,000 tons of salmon. Eight of the 10 most popular fish have seen a slight fall in the volumes sold, although the overall value of the market continues to climb. Only tuna, popular with celebrity chefs and in sushi, is rising, along with scampi, once a pub meal stalwart condemned to a place in a basket with chips, but now riding the wave of interest in retro-foods to see sales soar. A survey conducted among supermarket wine drinkers found fish lovers said they prefer to cook at home. The study for Nobilo Wines found two out of three people ate fish twice a week with one in five popping out to the chip shop for their supper. Fewer than 17 per cent of those that did said they tucked into the traditional Friday night treat of fish and chips. When it came to a favorite fish, 42 per cent of respondents voted for salmon – compared to 37 per cent who opted for cod. Prawns came third followed by tuna and haddock. - Independent, UK British Eating More Fish Than EverUnited Kingdom - Research carried out by industry body Seafish has found that more people in Britain are eating fish and shellfish than ever before. Omega-3s Help Kids With Learning, Behavior DUBLIN, Ireland - Omega-3 fatty acids found in fish and fish oils can help Irish children living with behavior and learning difficulties, delegates at the 2007 World Seafood Congress (2007 WSC) heard from Oxford University-based science nutritionist, Dr. Alex Richardson, one the UK’s leading researchers on how food affects behavior in children. The findings Richardson presented to the WSC 2007 were from controlled trials, including the Oxford-Durham study, the largest and most extensive treatment trial of fatty acids for childhood behavior and learning conditions such as dyspraxia, dyslexia and ADHD. The study involved mainstream school children from County Durham, UK aged from five to 12 years with impairments in academic achievement and daily living and who were not receiving any treatment for their difficulties. More than 12,000 assessments were undertaken in the course of this full double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial. Performance assessments included motor function, reading and spelling and teacher-rated attention symptoms. After three months of treatment, dramatic results were seen, as the active group supplementing with Omega-3 fatty acids saw significant improvements in reading, as well as writing - reading age increased by an average of 9.5 months, spelling by an average of 6.6 months. These gains were three times the expected normal gain in reading and twice that for spelling, which brought the children close to normative values. Teachers rating the children’s behavior also reported a significant reduction in ADHD-related symptoms. Contrastingly, no overall improvement was made in the trial’s placebo controlled group. “The people most vulnerable to deficiencies are those that are genetically predisposed to need a high intake of Omega 3 from fish and seafood – and as scientists, we now suspect this may include people with dyslexia, dyspraxia, autistic spectrum disorders, ADHD and depression. All of these symptoms are on the increase in the western world – and a general lack of Omega-3 in the diet is one possible reason for this.” Dr Richardson advises parents that getting Omega-3 from foods is the preferred route, but that means eating plenty of fish and seafood on a regular basis, at least twice a week. However, only 20% of the Irish population regularly eats fish twice weekly or less. Richardson comments: “Like the UK, Ireland’s seafood intake is very low. The Japanese and Mediterranean diets do particularly well for example, but I recognize it is impractical for many people to consume Omega-3 in the quantities needed, so for them, good supplements can be helpful.” - Fish Update, UK What's in Your Wine? You like wine? I do. That's one reason an estimated $30 billion in wine was sold in this country last year. You think wine is made out of fermented grapes? Well...mostly. Here's what most winemakers don't want you to know: they put other stuff in wine, and they use a lot of non-grape materials in processing it. Nearly every winemaker does it. Some winemakers add water, some add sugar (California winemakers can't), many add red coloring called mega purple. Some use egg whites to make red wine clearer and remove bitter tannins. Some use issinglass, made from fish bladders, to clear up white wine. Some even use oak chips to add flavor because it's a lot cheaper than oak barrels. All of this is not new. Winemakers used to use ox blood to clear up red wine (yuck!). The Romans used to sweeten wine with sugar. But additives and agents have become a huge business. All of the products are "natural," and many are filtered out before the wine goes into the bottle. These products help make wines more consistent, despite a bad year. They make "Two Buck Chuck" drinkable. They make high-end wines look better. They allow you to take a bottle of wine home tonight and open it, rather than wait a couple of years. And don't be fooled by the "organic" label. The grapes may have been grown organically, but that doesn't necessarily affect the winemaking process. John Krska, General Manager of Casa Cassara Vineyards in California's "Sideways" country, sometimes uses a clay called Bentonite to "fine" wine (reduce astringency). "Americans want a flawless wine. And in order to get that flawless wine, they have to be filtered, the have to be 'fined,' and they have to be tinkered with." The question is, should you know this? Should winemakers list all ingredients or fining/filtering agents on the label? They do in New Zealand and Australia. Now the U.S. government may force new labels changes here. The feds are considering two different labeling initiatives: one forcing a label which shows how many calories, fat, carbohydrates and protein is in each serving of wine, and a second to force winemakers to list the potential presence of allergens like egg whites or wheat (wheat paste holds oak barrels together). The wine industry has popped its cork over the initiatives. One winemaker says new labels will "freak out" consumers needlessly. Apparently you can't handle the truth! They say it would be too expensive to determine the calories in a serving of wine because it varies. And listing allergens is misleading because those are filtered out before the wine goes into the bottle (though proving trace amounts don't remain could be hard). Professor Ken Fugelsang at California State University Fresno thinks consumers should know. "I think as much information as we can give the consumer to make a decision is a wise direction to go in." But veteran wine writer Dan Berger strongly disagrees. "I think it would clutter the label, and it would be misleading in a lot of ways. It would make it seem as if something foreign is being added to the wine, when in fact these are grape products that are made directly from grapes." He fears new label rules would "tie winemakers' hands." The bottom line here is the bottom line. How would consumers react if they knew the truth? I'd still buy plenty of wine. But I wouldn't look at it quite the same way. It'll be more like a beverage, like beer, or Snapple. Something a lot less expensive, which is exactly what winemakers fear. – CNBC Jerry's Seafood Offers Crab and Spooks LEWES, Delaware - Exploding with 10 ounces of jumbo lump crab, the Crab Bomb is the signature dish at Jerry's Seafood, located on Second Street in Lewes. "There is no filler, it is just crab meat, Old Bay seasoning and enough mayonnaise to hold it together," said Suzanne Becker, the general manager and co-owner of Jerry's Seafood. The Crab Bomb sells for $32. Becker and her mother, Christine, named their restaurant after another Jerry's Seafood in Lanham, Md. The pair were customers of the Maryland Jerry's for about 15 years before becoming silent partners. They decided to open their own Jerry's at the beach and originally looked at Rehoboth Beach for a home before finding their present building in Lewes in May 2005. "I just fell in love with this building," said Becker. Located in a historic town, Becker said that while decorating they tried to stay true to the building's roots, while incorporating today's modern touches. You might even see the historic ghost that is said to inhabit the building. Becker said she has seen the ghost in a corner of the restaurant. "It is like you see something out of the corner of your eye, but when you turn and look at it, it is not there," she explained. Some longtime Sussex Countains said they have heard stories of a ghost in the building. Ghost or no, people come to Jerry's for the food and the service. "With our crab cakes, and other food, you get what you pay for," Becker said. "We also have a friendly staff. You can't ask for anything better." The restaurant also has a full bar and four TVs for watching the big game. Happy hour is Sunday to Friday from 4 to 7 p.m. Jerry's is open from 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. for lunch and 4:30 p.m. to closing for dinner. -Delaware Beachcomber, DE <<<•>>> Tuesday, October 16, 2007Text Messages Guide Seafood ChoicesEXPENSIVE Still not sure which is more eco-savvy, farmed or wild salmon? Snd a txt msg. The marine conservation group Blue Ocean Institute has launched a cell phone-based service to send you text messages with the information you need to make smart seafood choices. Next time you¹re at the seafood counter or in a restaurant and can¹t recall whether farmed catfish is managed in an environmentally sustainable fashion, send a text message and within seconds you¹ll have the Institute's take on it. The group also is launching FishPhone (http://fishphone.org), a Web site formatted for Web-enabled cell phones and PDAs. To use the texting service, send a message to 30644. In the message, type FISH, followed by the name of the seafood in question, such as tuna. The service covers more than 90 species, and suggests alternatives to options that pose environmental concerns. Aside from any standard text message fees by your cell phone service provider, the service is free. - The Associated Press Raw Fish Raises Health ConcernsPHILADELPHIA, Pa. - Two case studies from Japan presented at the 72nd Annual Meeting of the American College of Gastroenterology point to a potential health problem in the U.S., as more Americans consume raw fish in the form of sushi and sashimi. Anisakiasis (round worm) is a human parasitic infection caused by the consumption of raw or undercooked seafood containing Anisakis larvae. Consumers should be aware that while larvae for the parasitic worm Anisakis cannot survive in a human host, the ingested larvae can produce severe intestinal problems warranting a visit to the emergency room. When ingested by humans, the larvae attach themselves to the tissues lining the stomach and intestines, resulting in sudden abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. Since the larvae cannot survive in humans and eventually die, intestinal anisakiasis usually resolves on its own. Researchers in Japan examined two cases of intestinal anisakiasis presenting as an obstruction of the small intestine. In each case, both patients, ages 64 and 70, were rushed to the emergency room with sudden abdominal pain and vomiting after eating raw sardines as sashimi two days earlier. The diagnosis of anisakiasis in the stomach can easily be confirmed by endoscopy. Because the symptoms of anisakiasis can mimic other gastrointestinal diseases, it might potentially be misdiagnosed as appendicitis, acute abdomen (peritonitis) or stomach ulcers.– Science Daily New Freezing Technology Project GRIMSBY, United Kingdom - A revolutionary new method of freezing fish will be unveiled to seafood chiefs in Grimsby later this week. The Grimsby Institute of Further and Higher Education has become the first and so far only commercial research facility in Europe licensed to use the Japanese Cells Alive System (CAS), which offers significantly improved flavor retention and causes less damage to the flesh of seafood. The Institute has invested heavily in CAS and an associated refrigeration plant, which freezes using magnetism and modulated waves of cold air. Conventional methods freeze from the outside in, with the result that the penetration of cold to the center of the product becomes more difficult as the exterior freezes up. The people behind CAS claim their method retains the texture and flavor of the food far better, because it is subject to a low intensity magnetic field, which ensures that fish and other types of food are lowered to freezing point more uniformly. This suppresses the migration of fats and oils and the formation of ice crystals. Japanese CAS technology specialists ABI Ltd recently visited the port recently to complete the installation of its flagship technology. The Grimsby Institute has been working closely with Irish seafood companies who will be among the first to train with the new CAS system. Lynton Perry, deputy director of commercial development at Grimsby, said: "This technology offers industry unprecedented access to research for new product development and explore new methods which could improve their business." The CAS system was launched at the Grimsby Institute on Friday. – fishupdate.com Seafood Processing Industry in the U.S. Research and Markets has announced the addition of "Fresh and Frozen Seafood Processing Industry in the U.S. (Q3-2007 Edition)" to their offering. The Fresh and Frozen Seafood Processing Industry report is an in-depth analysis of the industry's structure, competitive landscape, internal financial performance, and trends and opportunities. This October's release contains data as recent as September, 2007. This 151-page report is a detailed information resource based on the 6-digit NAICS code. It includes at least 5 years of independently researched industry statistics that are cross-referenced with the relevant U.S. and international economic indicators. All data have been verified to ensure the highest quality. Use this report for a comprehensive industry analysis or as an industry reference guide to aid benchmarking and forecasting. For example, our supply and demand data covers both U.S. shipments and international trade while taking into consideration the industry's capacity utilization. The industry level income statements and balance sheets contain all the elements that you will need for financial benchmarking. All the information can be easily extracted to your favorite spreadsheet, word processing, or presentation applications. Would you like to compare your client's financial data with the industry's 4-year financial statement? That can be accomplished in just a minute. Revenue, profitability, market size & foreign trade The industry's revenue for the year 2006 was approximately $9 billion U.S. dollars. The gross profit was around 25%. Market sizes for the fresh and frozen seafood processing industry are: prepared fresh fish and other fresh seafood (25.4%); prepared frozen fish (36.5%); prepared frozen shellfish (20%); other prepared fresh and frozen seafood (11.4%); and fresh and frozen seafood processing, not specified by kind, total (6.6%). Definition & classification This U.S. industry comprises establishments primarily engaged in one or more of the following: (1) eviscerating fresh fish by removing heads, fins, scales, bones, and entrails; (2) shucking and packing fresh shellfish; (3) manufacturing frozen seafood; and (4) processing fresh and frozen marine fats and oils. This 6-digit NAICS industry (311712) is under the hierarchy of Seafood Product Preparation and Packaging Industry (31171), Food Manufacturing Subsector (311), and the Manufacturing Sector (31-33). Its SIC equivalent codes are: 2077 - Animal and Marine Fats and Oils (fresh and frozen marine fats and oils); and 2092 - Prepared Fresh or Frozen Fish and Seafoods. For more information, visit www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/c71477. - Business Wire Salmon Advocates Fearful of Genetic Mixing LOCH SHIEL, Scotland - One of Scotland's finest salmon rivers is facing "absolute ruin" following the escape of thousands of farmed "Norwegian" fish from their cages in a Highland loch. The escape - involving at least 15,000 fish - took place two weeks ago in Loch Shiel, on the west coast, south of Glenfinnan, according to documents lodged with the Scottish Government. Fisheries managers and environmentalists, who claim the number of escapees could be much higher, now fear that native wild salmon in the nearby River Shiel will be wiped out as the two species interbreed. Marine Harvest, the Norwegian-owned company that runs the Loch Shiel salmon hatchery, uses salmon eggs from Norway or Ireland - significantly different genetic strains - to produce its stock. Scientific studies have shown that the hybrid fish created by interbreeding will have a low life expectancy. Every year Marine Harvest uses the freshwater Loch Shiel to grow hundreds of thousands of young salmon from the fry stage to the smolt stage, after which they are mature enough to be released into sea cages. The company confirmed the escape, saying its Loch Shiel enclosures at Glenfinnan were attacked by predators at the end of September. The escape is expected to damage recreational angling for wild salmon along the River Shiel, which connects the southern end of the loch to the Atlantic. One concern about the escape relates to Marine Harvest's decision to use Norwegian eggs, which has been fiercely resisted by wild fish groups. They argue that the high likelihood of escapes would result in alien fish being let loose into Scotland's fragile eco-system. Norwegian salmon have evolved for life in deep fjords, and have a far more muscular build than the lithe Scottish salmon, which have adapted to navigate the shallow, fast-flowing rivers and waterfalls which lie between the sea and their spawning grounds.- Scotland on Sunday <<<•>>> Wednesday, October 17, 2007 Restaurant Serves Sustainable Stock XPENSIVE LONDON - With two weeks to go to the opening of his first fish-and-chip shop, Tom Aikens is looking relaxed. The London chef, once better known for his hot temper than his brilliant cooking, embraces colleagues and jokes with his receptionist as he arrives at Tom's Kitchen, the casual eatery he started last year near his fine-dining restaurant in Chelsea. Tom's Place, scheduled to open on Oct. 29, will serve fish from sustainable stocks on tables manufactured from recycled plastic. Customers will use Vegware cutlery made of natural starch and fibers. In case the green message doesn't get through, there will be leaflets and displays about suppliers and the environment. "I've always wanted to do something with fish,'' Aikens, 37, said in an interview. "Fish and chips is the last fast-food business that hasn't been modified. It's been around since the early 1800s. That's a long time and it's hardly changed at all. I want to help take it to a new level of sustainability.'' Instead of the usual cod and chips, Aikens will use pollock for his basic dish, for about 12 pounds ($24). Other fish may include megrim sole and coley, as well as Norwegian cod. Grills will feature Cornish mackerel, sardines and line-caught sea bass and there will be moules mariniere, bouillabaisse and cockles. Ecologically friendly Aikens says he is working with various environmental groups, including the Environmental Justice Foundation, Seafood Alliance and the Marine Stewardship Council. Much of his fish will come from Andrew Pascoe, a fisherman in Newlyn, Cornwall, who this year was profiled in the Ecologist under the headline, "Local Hero.'' The potatoes will be Maris Piper, from Worth's Farm, in Deeping St. Nicholas, Lincolnshire. Aikens said he chose this variety because of something called "dry matter,'' and then he started a detailed explanation of what this means. It's basically the starch, which gives chips their taste and color, while potatoes also need the right water content, for fluffiness. The batter will be made with high-gluten bread flour, corn flour, sugar, salt, white pepper and yeast, together with a 50-50 mix of Heineken and sparkling water. Aikens will use beef dripping for frying, having tasted about half a dozen oils. The wine list will be entirely English, and there will be British ales, too. Aikens, who holds a Michelin star for his fine-dining Tom Aikens restaurant, isn't the first London chef to take fish and chips up market. Garry Hollihead opened Geales, in Notting Hill, in May, with a menu that included roast sea scallops with warm orange dressing. Gordon Ramsay had monkfish and chips on the menu when he opened his first pub, the Narrow, at Limehouse, in March. Tom's Kitchen has proved a runaway success, he said. Aikens says it served a record 443 customers on Oct. 5 and he is looking at a site in a new building in the City financial district, which might open in 2009. He may also open more branches of Tom's Place.- Bloomberg Environmentalists Want Fish Cages RemovedDAGUPAN CITY, Philippines - An environmental group has asked the municipal government of Agno in Pangasinan province to remove the fish cages along the Balincaguing River, saying these were “incompatible” with the river’s classification, which is for recreation and navigation. In a position paper, the Agno Concerned Citizens for Ecologically Secured and Sustainable Development (Access) said the cages were also illegal because the town’s tax ordinance did not provide "any form of taxation for such activity." Origins Balincaguing River is a major river system that originates from the Zambales mountains and snakes through the towns of Mabini, Burgos and Agno. Its mouth in the village of Sabangan in Agno is dotted by huge mushroom-shaped boulders known as the "Umbrella Rocks." "No activity that is incompatible with its declared classification and use must be allowed. Definitely, bangus (milkfish) cages must not be put in the river," Access said in a position paper. Fish feed Access said the use of fish feed in the cages will destroy water quality. The document has been sent to Agno Mayor Arthur Cabantac. "The unconsumed feeds will also settle at the bottom of the river… causing pollution and reduction in water depth. Many of us are living victims of flooding," Access said. "Once the river is polluted, no amount of cleansing can bring it back to its natural beauty." In a separate letter to Cabantac, Lydia Colobong, an Access officer, said the fish cages should instead be put in the open sea. Open to investors Colobong said the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources has designated mariculture parks in Sto. Tomas, La Union, "and these areas are still open [to investors]." As a recreation area, she said floating picnic sheds or rafts could be placed on the Balincaguing River for visitors’ use. "Let us develop our town rather than destroy it," Colobong said. She said the river’s wetland areas could also be developed for eco-tourism and biodiversity conservation. She cited a study that indicated that the world’s smallest and biggest bats are found in Agno. - Inquirer.net, Philippines Alaska Changes Advice About Eating Fish (This article also appeared in our Fish Wrap service.) State health officials used to say that any Alaskan could eat an unlimited amount of fish from state waters without a risk of heavy metal contamination. Their advice changed this week. Alaska women of childbearing age and small children should limit their consumption of a few fish types -- large halibut, shark, large lingcod, yelloweye rockfish and spiny dogfish -- due to their mercury levels, state officials said. The state changed its advice due to mercury contamination reported in February in species that hadn't been tested before, and in larger-sized specimens of previously-tested species. The state also unveiled a "fish diet calculator" to help families to keep track of how much fish from the risky group they can eat per week, or per month, to minimize the health risk. Recent scientific studies show mercury can harm children's brain development. The state's fish tissue testing program, begun in 2001, still shows most of Alaska's fish species -- all five species of salmon and pollock, for example -- do not contain unsafe levels of mercury. But test results published in February show the larger, longer-lived Alaska fish contain amounts of mercury that state, federal and international public health officials consider risky for a child's brain development. In the past decade, contamination from mercury -- a natural element also emitted by industrial plants -- has led to many fish consumption advisories in the Lower 48, though many states rely on different scientific interpretations of the health risks. Federal officials, for example, say women of childbearing age and young children should eat only two meals per week of fish low in mercury. But Alaska officials break that down further, saying for example that salmon can be eaten in unlimited amounts, and other fish, like shark, shouldn't be eaten more than once per week. Many scientists who specialize in mercury studies say the cause of the high levels of the toxic metal in fish in certain areas is a combination of global air pollution -- from coal plants, for example -- and geographically specific factors, such as the nature of the local aquatic food chain. – Anchorage Daily News Scottish "Wild" Atlantic Salmon? Question: My local fish market sells "wild Atlantic salmon" from Scotland. Is there such a thing? I have purchased farm-raised salmon that tasted like iodine. Is this common? Helen Parrella, Huntington, N.Y. Answer: The Earth's only commercial wild salmon fisheries are in the Pacific. There may be some rogue wild salmon swimming in the streams of Northern Europe, but there is no commercial wild-salmon industry in the Atlantic Ocean. It is very likely that your fish store is selling farmed salmon under a misleading label. Do Fish Sleep? The long-standing puzzle of whether fish can sleep has been solved by a study that has shown that they snooze after a disturbed night. Like most other species of fish, zebrafish, Danio rerio, do not have eyelids and it has been difficult to establish if they are asleep when inactive or merely resting. Researchers have now been able to show not only that the fish sleep, but that they can suffer from sleep deprivation and insomnia. By repeatedly disturbing the fish using mild electric shocks, researchers were able to keep the popular aquarium species awake at night. Those fish that had suffered a disturbed night were found to catch up on their sleep as soon as the opportunity arose. Some of the fish used in the study had a genetic mutation to the neural receptors for hypocretins, a substance that helps to promote wakefulness. A lack of hypocretins in human beings has been linked to narcolepsy. Zebrafish with the mutation suffered from insomnia and it was found that the time they were able to sleep was cut by 30 per cent compared with fish without the mutation. "Fish lacking this receptor demonstrate short and fragmented sleep in the dark," the research team reported in PLoS Biology, an online journal. The study has given researchers insights into the function of molecules that regulate sleep and they hope further research into zebrafish, which were selected because they have a similar central nervous system to mammals, will help them to understand sleep disorders in human beings. "Sleep disorders are common and poorly understood. Further, how and why the brain generates sleep is the object of intense speculations. In this study, we demonstrate that a bony fish used for genetic studies sleeps," the researchers said. Fish monitored by the research team from the United States and France were observed to have a drooping tail fin and stayed at the surface or bottom of the tank when asleep. Emmanuel Mignot, of Stanford University in the United States, who was involved in the study, said: "This will likely give us important clues on how and maybe why sleep has been selected by natural evolution and is so universal." – Times of London <<<•>>>
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Celebrity Pandering I XPENSIVE The latest eco-craze is making some designers sick. The Earth Pledge group asked a few designers to work with its new "Sea Leather." They were happy to comply, except for alice+olivia's Stacey Bendet. "I agreed to do this 'green outfit,' " Bendet wrote us. "I figured sea leather was fake, but they are real dead fish skins . . . They smell. Gross!" Earth Pledge exec Leslie Hoffman called the skins a "sustainably raised fish product that does not smell fishy . . . It happens to be very beautiful. Fish skin would otherwise be garbage. We are turning landfill material into something beautiful and useful." – New York Post Celebrity Pandering IIActor Michael Caine once awoke to find a ghost glowing in the dark - only to realize the phantom was actually a plate of smoked haddock. As a child growing up in London, Caine's father insisted the future actor leave his bedroom window open at night to let fresh air in, and because the room was so cold, the family left fresh fish in there to prevent it from going off. But Caine was unaware smoked haddock glows in the dark. He says, "My father, who was very tough, always insisted, 'You've got to be healthy, keep the windows open at night.' So, even in winter, the windows were always open. It was freezing cold. "My father was a fish market porter and he used to steal fish to feed us. He used to keep the fish in our bedroom because it was the coldest room in the house. "And one night, I woke up and I yelled because at the end of the bed there's this ghost. I'm screaming, and my mother came in and said, 'What's the matter?' "She turned the lights on and there was a big plate of smoked haddock. And smoked haddock has phosphorous in it and it glows in the dark. I thought it was a ghost, and it was smoked haddock." - Contactmusic.com, UK Industry Money Fans Debate on Fish This also appeared in our Fish Wrap service. NEW YORK CITY – Many health advocates were surprised earlier this month when a children’s health coalition that includes federal agencies and professional medical associations contradicted government warnings about mercury contamination and recommended that women of childbearing age eat more fish. Since then several coalition members have renounced the findings, some criticizing the coalition’s leadership for taking thousands of dollars from the fishing industry to promote the recommendations. The coalition’s leaders did not present the recommendations to its members before releasing them. The organization, the National Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition, announced on Oct. 4 that women of childbearing age should eat at least 12 ounces of seafood each week, including tuna and mackerel, which can have high levels of mercury. Since 2004, the Food and Drug Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency have recommended that such women eat no more than 12 ounces of fish a week, including no more than 6 ounces of canned albacore tuna, and avoid swordfish, tilefish, king mackerel and shark because they are high in mercury, which most scientists say is harmful to fetuses and young children. The coalition based its advice on a finding by the Maternal Nutrition Group, made up of physicians, dietitians and nutritionists. It relied on recent research, including a study in the British medical journal Lancet, showing that the benefits for babies of omega-3 fatty acids and other substances in fish outweighed the risks of mercury. Another study showed that fears about mercury had kept some women from eating any fish. But in an 1,800-word response to its critics, the coalition acknowledged that a member of the Maternal Nutrition Group, Dr. James McGregor, a visiting professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Southern California’s Keck School of Medicine, had gotten the National Fisheries Institute to provide $1,000 honoraria to each of the group’s 14 members, with an extra $500 each to the group’s four executive committee members. The National Fisheries Institute also gave the coalition $60,000 for its education campaign. The coalition’s leadership said that the public relations firm Burson-Marsteller "facilitated this group sharing its findings" with the coalition and is working to promote the recommendations. Burson-Marsteller, which represents the fisheries institute, had worked for the U.S. Tuna Foundation before it joined with the institute. Hampton Shaddock, a managing director of Burson-Marsteller, is the vice chairman of the coalition, although he said he recused himself from any discussion by the organization on seafood recommendations. Both the recommendations and the connection to the fishing industry angered some members of the coalition. "We are appalled," said Dr. Frank Greer, chairman of the nutrition committee of the American Academy of Pediatrics, a member of the coalition. He said his organization does not believe the new advice is backed up by the preponderance of science. "Plus it’s paid for by the National Fisheries Institute, which is a real conflict of interest," he said. Others in the coalition, including the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, the federal Health Resources Services Administration as well as the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and the March of Dimes, also disavowed the findings. "Until we have a solid convincing argument we are not going to change," said Michele Kling, a spokeswoman for the March of Dimes. Julie Zawisza, a spokeswoman for the Food and Drug Administration, said the agency stood by its warnings about seafood high in mercury. "We think we are pretty much aware of everything that is out there in terms of scientific studies and data," Zawisza said, "and we haven’t seen any data that we believe would support a change in our current recommendations." Dr. Kathryn Mahaffey, a senior scientist with the E.P.A., said the coalition's recommendation "has created an artificial controversy." "I talk to a number of very well educated pregnant women and when they hear these messages they find themselves confused," Dr. Mahaffey said. "It undermines what regulatory agencies have to say. You can have omega-3’s without having much mercury, but you have to make really careful choices and try to follow our guidelines." Judy Meehan, executive director of the coalition, said there was nothing wrong with the Burson-Marsteller connection or with taking money from organizations with a product to sell. "We receive money for an educational message and we stand behind that message," Meehan said. "We saw an important health message that is a priority and thought the latest science should be included." John Connelly, president of the National Fisheries Institute, said there is no conflict of interest. "N.F.I. is proud to have been able to support a continuing discussion of the importance of eating seafood as part of healthy diet during pregnancy," he said. This is not the first time the seafood industry has given money to an outside group to talk about the benefits of its products. For example, the tuna foundation gave $45,000 last year to the University of Maryland’s Center for Food, Nutrition and Agriculture Policy to create the Web site realmercuryfacts.org, which disputes government warnings about mercury in seafood. – New York Times Ocean Restaurant to Follow "Green" Model SEATTLE, Wash. - B.R. Guest Restaurants, a joint venture between Stephen Hanson and an affiliate of Starwood Capital Group, on Wednesday introduced plans for Ocean, the company's first West Coast restaurant, slated to open in Seattle in 2009 in the first of the 1 Hotels. The property marks the inaugural endeavor between B.R. Guest Restaurants and 1 Hotels & Residences. The seafood-focused Ocean will follow a farm-to-table model, seeking out and highlighting the freshest, seasonal ingredients from regional fisheries and farms in the Puget Sound region. B.R. Guest Restaurants is the first national multi-concept restaurant group to be certified green by the Green Restaurant Association for promoting environmentally friendly practices. The group is comprised of 17 restaurants, including, in New York City, Atlantic Grill, Blue Fin, Blue Water Grill, Dos Caminos Park, Dos Caminos Soho, Dos Caminos Third, Fiamma, Vento Trattoria, Ruby Foo's Dim Sum and Sushi Palace, Ruby Foo's Times Square, Level V nightclub and the recently opened Primehouse New York. B.R. Guest locations outside of New York include Blue Water Grill and David Burke's Primehouse in Chicago and Fiamma Trattoria in the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. In addition to Ocean in Seattle, upcoming properties include Dos Caminos at the Palazzo in The Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas and Wildwood Barbecue in New York and Las Vegas.- PRNewswire <<<•>>>
Friday, October 19, 2007
Omega-3 from Fish is Best XPENSIVE WASHINGTON - When it comes to getting the most heart-healthy benefits from omega-3, it's best to go straight to the source: salmon, trout and other fatty fish, algae or fish oil. Otherwise, all you're getting is snake oil -- and paying more for it. |