Tilapia Under Fire – What You Need To Know About The Popular Fish

Tilapia is the third most consumed fish in America, but is has lately come under fire because of bad farming practices that — some experts argue — are causing the food to suffer nutritionally (some have even called the fish as “bad for you as bacon”). Industry and watchdog leaders are now changing those practices and trying to make the fish safer and healthier to eat. Here’s what you need to know:

Bad as bacon
The comparison to bacon first came from a Wake Forest study that revealed tilapia raised on farms in China and Central America — which accounts for most of the tilapia we get — has very high levels of omega-6 fatty acids and negligible omega-3s, thanks to their diets. Unlike omega-3s, which tame inflammation and promote heart and brain health, omega-6s may increase inflammation, but only when they’re consumed in excess of omega-3s.

Choosing this fish isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but if you’re eating fish mainly to reap the benefits of omega-3s, you can do a lot better than tilapia. Instead, try salmon, mackerel, albacore tuna, and trout.

RELATED STORY: Cutting Down On Meat? Be Careful What You Replace It With

Farming problems
The bigger problem with tilapia is where and how this fish is frequently farmed. It’s nearly impossible to find U.S.-bred tilapia fillets because our colder climate requires these tropical fish to be grown in expensive indoor tanks, says Michael Rubino, director of the NOAA Fisheries Aquaculture Program. Almost all of the frozen fillets sold in grocery stores and served at restaurants come from China, while most fresh tilapia fillets come from Central America.

Although there are some highly reputable global producers that grow healthy fish in an environmentally sound fashion — namely the world’s largest producer, Regal Springs — there are many farmers, especially in Asia, that do not. Many foreign producers have been found to raise diseased tilapia in too-tight quarters, pumping fish full of antibiotics and even feeding fish feces.

Improvements are being made
Even though these issues persist, stakeholders agree that, by and large, tilapia farming is improving worldwide — even in China. More consumers today want to know where their fish comes from, which has prompted more retailers and other buyers to tighten up their quality standards and demand traceability from their suppliers. This in turn has given foreign farmers more incentive to meet those standards, even when their nations’ governments aren’t mandating them.

Finding the best fillets
Since 2011, the Aquaculture Stewardship Council has been auditing and certifying tilapia farms that make the grade for production standards and environmental and social impacts. According to Aaron McNevin, director of aquaculture at WWF, currently only about 15 percent of the tilapia available in the U.S. carries the ASC seal — the best indicator of safe, responsibly raised fish.

Rather than avoiding all China-bred tilapia, McNevin suggests choosing for fish with the ASC seal, “If you’re shopping and you don’t see any tilapia with the ASC label, ask for it, and shop somewhere else until the retailer brings in products bearing the label,” McNevin says. “Then you create demand, which will create change.”

Curated Article from Men’s Journal
Photo Credit: Wikipedia