Farmed fish could be dyed or gassed for better, more colorful appearances

December 13, 2023

Look beyond the FAKE appearances of fish to reap their REAL health benefits

You stop by the fish counter… or visit your local fish market…

And you’re impressed with how VIBRANT the colors are. 

These must be REALLY fresh! you think to yourself. And you place a big order to cook up for dinner. 

But the DARK secret of the seafood industry is that those BRIGHT colors are just a result of a little movie magic…

And that your fresh fish tuna or salmon could have been DYED… or GASSED… to achieve that reddish hue!

I’ll share with you in a moment how to tell the difference between “natural” and “treated” seafood…

But first, here’s a look at EXACTLY what’s going on with your filets behind the scenes. 

Now, you may have heard that wild-caught fish… especially salmon… is particularly good for you when it comes to a pescatarian diet. 

But the “woke mob” has been in an UPROAR because this natural food source isn’t “sustainable”…

Leading to the rise of fish farms… which are essentially a manmade supply of seafood. 

Problem is, farmed fish is UNHEALTHIER… and MISLEADING!

See, the color of farmed salmon, for instance, is an unappetizing gray… because the fish don’t get their natural diet of red-hued astaxanthin (a powerful antioxidant found in krill, which salmon eat in the wild).

So what do the fish farmers do?

In addition to dumping a “kitchen sink” diet of fish scraps, soy, GMOs, and more into the tanks… they add just enough astaxanthin to get the red color they want in the filets they’re going to sell. 

As least this “dye” is a natural pigment… and one that the salmon would typically eat in the wild… 

But it’s COVERING UP all the other junk that the salmon are being force-fed!

This gets worse…

Because in the case of tuna, a bright red color doesn’t come from feed…

But from GAS!

That’s right – tuna farmers UNLEASH carbon monoxide on it to keep it from looking DULL or TOO DARK. 

And as unbelievable as it sounds, carbon monoxide… a poisonous, odorless gas that can be LETHAL when breathed in… is generally recognized as safe (GRAS) by the FDA. 

This practice is BANNED around the globe… like in Japan, which is known for its sushi…

But as always, the feds in this country emphasize COMMERCE over consumer safety. 

Now, even if the gas itself were, in fact, safe…

It causes a problem when used on RAW tuna… because it can MASK the “rotten” or “spoiled” smell of fish that’s gone bad…

And it can PREVENT it from turning a brown color, which is normally another sign that tuna is no longer safe to consume. 

When you’re shopping for a tuna steak, look for a color that’s DARK red, almost maroon…

And not lighter red or pinkish. 

The packaging should be labeled “wild-caught”... but even that isn’t a FOOL-PROOF way of getting the “better” version of the fish, since instances of mislabeling have been EXPOSED.

Your best bet is to buy ALL of your seafood as close to home as possible… because the FARTHER it has to travel from where it’s caught, the MORE it’s going to be treated with SOMETHING to keep it looking fresh (even if it’s not ACTUALLY fresh).

And if you know your local fishmonger personally… you can ASK them what’s happened to the fish between the time it was HOOKED and put in the case.

For better health,

Dr. Marc S. Micozzi, M.D., Ph.D.

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