🐟Farmed Salmon's Omega-3 Levels Plummet 70%
Farmed salmon's health benefits are fading fast
TL;DR
Farmed salmon's Omega-3 levels have dropped by 70% since 2000 due to a shift in diet. This impacts the health benefits traditionally associated with salmon consumption. Farmed salmon production has tripled, but at what cost?
Farmed salmon's Omega-3 levels have dropped by 70% since 2000 due to a shift in diet from marine-based to crop-based ingredients. This shift impacts the health benefits traditionally associated with salmon consumption, as the US Department of Agriculture recommends eating at least 8 ounces of fish a week for heart health. The decline in Omega-3s is attributed to feeding salmon a diet based on soy and other land-based crops, which has led to increased greenhouse gas emissions and environmental degradation. The shift to crop-based diets has also contributed to the destruction of rainforests in South America to grow feed for livestock and aquaculture.
Key Points
Farmed salmon's Omega-3 levels have dropped by 70% since 2000 due to a shift in diet from marine-based to crop-based ingredients.
The shift to crop-based diets has doubled the greenhouse gas emissions per kilogram of farmed fish in Europe and the UK from 2000 to 2020.
In Norway, the world's biggest producer of farmed salmon, marine-based feed ingredients dropped from 90% in 1990 to 23% in 2020.
Most of the world's soy, roughly 50%, is grown in South America where rainforests and other ecosystems are being razed to grow feed for livestock and aquaculture.
The amount of farmed salmon tripled between 2000 and 2020, far outpacing the production of any other type of finned fish.
Why It Matters
If you're following dietary guidelines recommending salmon for heart health, you might want to rethink your choices. Farmed salmon's Omega-3 levels have dropped by 70% since 2000 due to a shift in diet. This impacts the health benefits traditionally associated with salmon consumption. The shift to crop-based diets has also contributed to increased greenhouse gas emissions and environmental degradation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does this matter?
If you're following dietary guidelines recommending salmon for heart health, you might want to rethink your choices. Farmed salmon's Omega-3 levels have dropped by 70% since 2000 due to a shift in diet. This impacts the health benefits traditionally associated with salmon consumption. The shift to crop-based diets has also contributed to increased greenhouse gas emissions and environmental degradation.
What happened?
Farmed salmon's Omega-3 levels have dropped by 70% since 2000 due to a shift in diet. This impacts the health benefits traditionally associated with salmon consumption. Farmed salmon production has tripled, but at what cost?
Comments
Be the first to comment
Enjoyed this article?
Get it daily. 7am. Free. Reads in 5 minutes.
Join 3,461 builders reading daily.