Heavy metals, pollutants... Here are the least contaminated salmon according to 60 million consumers

In sushi, en papillote or slipped into a quiche, salmon is a must on our plates.

If it is recommended for its protein, zinc, omega 3 or even vitamin A, D and E intake, it is just as singled out for its many traces of pollutants.

To track down heavy metals, dioxins (organic pollutants), PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls, also organic pollutants) and drug residues, our colleagues from the magazine 60 million consumers

16 salmon references on the market, in order to identify the less contaminated.

Their conclusions can be found in their May 2023 issue (1), available on newsstands.

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Inescapable pollutants

First lesson from the magazine's work: it is impossible to avoid contaminated fish.

Of all the 16 salmon references analyzed,

detected traces of dioxins, PCBs and mercury, all recognized as carcinogens and endocrine disruptors by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC).

However, the quantities of dioxins, PCBs and mercury present in the references analyzed are low enough not to represent a health hazard.

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Although they have been banned since 1987, they persist in the aquatic environment and become lodged in the fatty tissues of fish, particularly in organic labeled references.

“This pollution comes mainly from the food provided to the salmon.

The specifications for organic salmon impose 22% oil and flour from wild fish, which themselves are likely to accumulate residues, ”explains to the magazine, Marc Vandeputte, researcher specializing in sustainable fish farming at the National Institute for agriculture, research and the environment (Inrae).

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The Norwegian sector at the top of the ranking

Norwegian salmon still manages to hold its own, according to the study of

.

Criticized for several years because of its intensive breeding and its many traces of pollutants, it now has a better composition.

Since 2019, the industry has claimed to limit the use of antibiotics and this commitment has made the difference.

Thus, no traces of drugs, lead and cadmium were detected in the Norwegian salmon.

The latter therefore rise to the top of the podium.

Obtaining a score of 14/20, we find at the top of the ranking the Norwegian salmon steak Carrefour, Le Marché Filière Qualité, labeled ASC (Aquaculture Stewardship Council).

Sold at €24.30 per kilo, it stands out for its good composition but also for its attractive price.

On the podium, follow the salmon of Norwegian origin from the Monoprix Bio brand, at €45.80 per kilo, and the Lidl reference, at €25 per kilo.

The ASC-certified Carrefour salmon climbs to the top step of the podium.

Crossroads

Imperfect Scottish Salmon

If the sanitary quality of Norwegian salmon is improving, the Scottish industry cannot say the same.

We thus discover in certain references relatively high levels of mercury, like the Casino Bio salmon.

However, the magazine mentions that the mercury level there is low enough not to represent a health hazard.

Although it is labeled organic, we discover traces of mercury in the salmon of the Casino Bio brand.

Organic Casino

How can these higher mercury levels be explained?

According to

farming

, that is to say in lakes or fjords.

The fish are more confined there and therefore more contaminated.

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In images, in pictures

See the slideshow11 photos

See the slideshow11 photos

A significant ecological impact

Finally, the magazine warns against the heavy ecological impact of salmon consumption.

And bio-labeled references are no exception.

On the one hand, farming promotes a depletion of oxygen in the waters and on the other hand, the escape of certain fish can impact the genetics of their wild counterparts.

Consequences: the species is weakened.

On the environmental criterion, all the references in the list thus obtain a score “with moderation”.

"An additional reason not to exceed one portion of oily fish per week, as recommended by the health authorities", conclude our colleagues.

(1) The full survey can be found in the magazine

, currently on newsstands.

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