Why organic salmon barely differs from ‘regular’ farmed salmon
You think you’re choosing the better option by going for organic salmon, only to discover that it’s actually not much better than ‘regular’ farmed salmon. Organic salmon may even be more contaminated than farmed salmon. Is there really a difference between the two?
You may not know this yet, but both types of salmon are farmed. And the bad news: research by the French consumer organisation 60 millions shows that organic farmed salmon is more heavily contaminated with mercury and arsenic from its environment than ‘regular’ farmed salmon.
Not harmful
According to Foodlog, the amount of mercury found in the fish is not harmful. However, arsenic should be avoided as much as possible. These substances are found in organic fish because of the feed the salmon receives; these are fishmeal pellets made from the waste of wild fish, which already contain arsenic and mercury. In organic smoked salmon, the fatty parts containing most of the contamination are cut away.
Similarities
According to the Guardian, organic and regular farmed salmon have many similarities. For example, they are both kept in cages: organic salmon with 30,000 fish and non-organic salmon with 70,000 fish together. All farmers use colourings (a natural one for organic salmon), and feed the salmon minerals and vitamins, as well as binding agents such as wheat flour. The fish are also of a similar age: non-organic farmed salmon live for two years, while organic salmon live for two and a half years.
But tastier
According to Frank Heyn of Frank’s Smokehouse, organic farmed fish really is the better choice. ‘Organic fish farms are smaller-scale and therefore catch fewer fish per cage. They use only natural feed for the fish, and organic salmon is also considerably tastier. The fish is much firmer and less fatty.’
