Infected salmon is safe to eat

The Chilean farmed salmon is of no harm to humans reports the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. For many years the infectious salmon anemia virus (ISAV) has killed thousands of (other) fish.

The virus has been found in Chile, The United States, Norway and Scotland, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. About 30% of United States’ imported salmon comes from Chile. So if the salmon was harmfully to humans, it would have had a great impact on the American’s fish consumption.

The Pew Environment Group, the nonprofit organization monitoring and signalizing environmental problems, also warns for the use of antibiotics by the salmon producers. The Group stresses the importance of the government’s role in this case.

I’m glad to know that there exists organizations such as Pew Environment Group. Thanks to these groups the food scandals stay limited. But there is still a lot of work to do. Now it’s up to the governments of the involved countries to take the right measures. Certainly the FDA must raise the amount of controls and the authorities must take severe action. Not a single offence should be left unpunished nor ignored.

The question is: will you still eat Chilean farmed salmon after this news? I don’t think so. Consumers will likely choose for the wild salmon. Above all, many experts are convinced that the wild one is healthier.

So I can conclude that the salmon affected by this virus is safe to eat but it’s recommended to choose for the uninfected wild salmon. After all, the involved governments must take their responsibility in this case.

By Liesbeth Alliet

http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/02/18/salmon.disease/index.html?iref=allsearch