Home / Blog / Toxic Salmon not ok for Swedish mums, but the French call it a delicacy

May 8, 2013

Toxic Salmon not ok for Swedish mums, but the French call it a delicacy

Topics: 

© OCEANA / LX

 

An investigative report has aired some interesting, and unfortunately disturbing news out of Sweden.

Since 2002, Sweden has been banned by the EU from exporting its salmon to the other EU Member States, because it contains high levels of dioxin, a toxic substance known to negatively affect consumer’s health. Repeated consumption has been linked to problems with the reproductive system, behavioral disorders and cancer, according to scientists. While it is still allowed to be sold in Sweden, pregnant women are warned not to consume it more than two or three times a year, if at all. The rest of the population is on their own to navigate the supermarkets freezers, as little information is provided. In other words, what’s considered dangerous in the rest of Europe is ok for us Swedes, at least according to our National Food Agency.

But here comes the twist. Swedish journalists started digging in this matter and found out that very little Swedish salmon is actually eaten in Sweden, yet last year salmon catches reportedly amounted to 250 tons. So where does it all go?

France. Illegally.

Apparently Swedish salmon is considered a delicacy in France where it can be sold for up to 100 euros per kilo.   

“I eat salmon twice a week. Swedish and Norwegian. But Swedish is better”, says Audry Joubaud, who lives in Paris, to the Swedish TV show Uppdrag Granskning (who unraveled this story).  

This is another example of the importance of proper seafood labeling and the consumer’s right to know and understand what they are feeding their families.