[3FCer344892]

After a nice dinner of cod curry I was reading online about how certain fish have dangerous levels of mercury or pesticides and other harmful chemicals inside them. I found this very startling. I have bought several bags of "Kroger Value" fish fillets, because at the time it seemed like a good deal. However, the bag has nothing on it about where the fish was caught or if it contains anything bad inside it. How could I find these things out?

[Taurie]

I believe Kroger Value fish is just a selection of fish that they were able to get a deal on at the time they purchased the fish from their suppliers. You can always email Kroger to find out.

Dr. Murad says, 'fish such as tuna and salmon, can contain high levels of mercury and other contaminants, so you should eat these infrequently'.

The Food Standards Agency recommends that we should eat at least two portions of fish a week. Pregnant and breastfeeding women, and those of childbearing age should eat no more than two portions of oily fish a week.

Here's a list of Dr. Murad's Best Choice of fish:

abalone(farmed)
anchovy
bigeye (troll or poll caught)
catfish (farmed)
caviar (farmed)
clams (farmed)
cod (Pacific)
crab (spider)
halibut (Pacific)
herring
hoki
mackerel (ONE OF MY FAVOURITES!)
mussels (farmed)
oysters (farmed)
salmon (canned, wild caught Alaska)
sardines
sea bass (line-caught, farmed)
shad
shrimp/prawns (trap caught)
squid
sturgeon (farmed)
tilapia (farmed)
trout (rainbow farmed)

Fish to eat with caution:
clams (wild caught)
cod (Greenland)
crab (brown, pot caught)
lobster (pot caught)
mahimahi
mussels (wild caught)
oysters (wild caught)
Pollack
Salmon (wild caught Pacific)
sand dabs
scallops (bay farmed, sea)
shrimp (brown or wild)
sole
tuna (skipjack, yellow fin, line-caught, canned)another favourite of mine

Fish to avoid:
caviar (beluga, osetra, sevruga)
cod (Atlantic)
lingcod
monkfish
orange roughy
rockfish
salmon (Atlantic farmed)
sea bass (trawled)
shark
shrimp (imported)
snapper (Pacific)
sturgeon (wild caught)
swordfish
tuna (bluefin)

This list was published in 2007; not sure if anything has changed since. Either way if you have the fish on the avoid list once in a while it won't harm you, so long as you aren't pregnant or breastfeeding... which may harm the baby.

I think it's fine to eat the fish you already bought. I would suggest next time you buy fish try to stick to the best choices list. It's hard for me because I love yellow fin tuna steaks, so I have that about once a week or every 2 weeks.

[bronzeager]

Monterey Bay Aquarium keeps a similar good/bad/recommended fish guide online. Although they are mostly interested in environment and sustainability issues, they also list health issues for certain kinds if fish. If the package has the name of the fish on it, you can look it up on this page: Monterey Bay Aquarium Fish Guide. You could also print out the "pocket guide" and bring it to the store to check next time you see a good deal.

I agree with Taurie, even if those fish that you already have in those packages is on the "avoid list", if you eat them in moderation, it's not a problem. It would be more of an issue if you're eating it a lot for years and years, and really more for children and babies and pregnant women than healthy grown adults. But I'm a thrifty person, and wouldn't want to waste a bargain!

[3FCer344892]

I just got worried, because I eat a lot of fish... always have, especially canned tuna. When I was younger my mom would whip of a thing of tuna salad a few times a week. I also have a thing of stuffed clams, another bag of tilapia, and a platter of shrimp, octopus, squid, and surimi in the freezer.

[ValRock]

Honestly, I live in Japan and the people here eat fish literally for breakfast lunch and dinner. I feel like if toxicity was really a problem then every child here would have brain damage. The rates here are no higher than the US if not lower.

[Rashomon]

Valrock what part of Japan are you in? I was in Nagoya for a little while in 2006. And yeah, I consumed a lot of tuna while I was there (maguro sushi became my go-to meal while I was there. So. Good).