CALLS TO BAN CANNED TUNA IN SCHOOLS COMES AFTER WARNINGS ON COLOSSAL RISK TO HEALTH
Researchers have warned that eating tuna could be "a colossal risk to public health," which is bad news for people who enjoy eating it. Europeans prefer fish as a source of omega-3, but a recent study's findings indicate that it may be more harmful than beneficial, leading activists to demand that fish be prohibited in hospitals and schools. Therefore, if you're currently eating a tin of the delicious snack, you had better finish it quickly before we put you right off.
Experts recently examined more closely the contents of the tuna cans we routinely buy at the grocery store. After buying almost 150 tuna tins in the UK, France, Italy, Germany, and Spain, they concluded that all of them were "contaminated with mercury," which is concerning.
Of these, 57% went over the maximums that are generally regarded as "safe" for various fish species.
Numerous severe health issues can result from mercury exposure.
In addition to having a significant effect on your nervous system, vision, hearing, and speech, it may also cause flu-like symptoms, nausea, and vomiting.
We don't want the metal in our tuna cans because it has been connected to potentially fatal lung damage and even some types of cancer. To protect vulnerable individuals who don't have much control over what they eat, activists are calling for its removal from the menu in maternity wards, schools, hospitals, and assisted living facilities.
Both officials and tuna tycoons have been accused of "cynical lobbying" by consumer rights group Foodwatch and Bloom, a non-profit organization that works to protect marine environments.
Even though it is "to the detriment of the health of hundreds of millions of tuna consumers in Europe," they assert that "the economic interests of industrial tuna fishing" are being prioritized over people's well-being. Both organizations have demanded that stricter limits be placed on the amount of mercury that can be found in tuna and that the biggest supermarkets on the continent cease carrying tins that contain more mercury than is allowed. Additionally, they want products to be clearly labelled with health risks and to have breaks in their advertising.
Foodwatch stated that there is a "colossal risk to public health" from mercury-rich tuna and that the study's findings had revealed "a health scandal on an unprecedented scale’’.
Using the actual mercury contamination of the tuna to set a threshold that guarantees that 95% of it can be sold, Bloom continued, "European public authorities have chosen an approach that is completely at odds with their duty to protect public health."For this reason, the maximum mercury tolerance of tuna, one of the most contaminated species, is three times greater than that of the least contaminated species.
Women who are pregnant or trying to conceive should limit their intake of tuna to no more than two tuna steaks or four cans per week, according to Mark Willis, head of chemical contaminants at the UK's Food Standards Agency.
He clarified, "This is because tuna has higher levels of mercury than other fish."
Current UK and EU regulations set a limit of 1 mg/kg for mercury in tuna products and 0.3 mg/kg for other fish. It was observed that the mercury level in over half of the tested tins exceeded the maximum limit of 0.3 mg/kg for mercury in other fish. In order to ensure that '95 percent' of the caught tuna is sold, Bloom says the standard mercury level of one milligram per kilogram is in place.
"What we end up with on our dinner plates is a colossal risk to public health that's not taken seriously," stated Karine Jacquemart, CEO of Foodwatch. Until a more protective European standard is established, we will not give up.