Betrayal of the 'Superfood' Salmon: "Bright Red Flesh, Contaminated with Controversial Harmful Pigments"

Farmed Salmon Mixed with Colorant Extracted from Petroleum
Omega-3 Content Also Half the Level of Mackerel

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[Asia Economy Reporter Na Ye-eun] The bright red color of salmon, known as a 'superfood,' has been revealed to be due to coloring agents. Additionally, it has been found that the omega-3 content in Norwegian salmon imported to South Korea is only half that of mackerel.

Yoon Jae-gap (Haenam, Wando, Jindo), a member of the National Assembly's Agriculture, Forestry, Livestock, Food, and Maritime Affairs Committee from the Democratic Party of Korea, made this claim on the 8th based on data submitted by the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries.

Previously, after the American weekly magazine Time selected salmon as a well-being food, the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries has been promoting salmon as a 'superfood' beneficial for disease treatment and longevity since 2015.

Comparison of Salmon Coloring Process.
Photo by Yoon Jae-gap Office Provided

However, while wild salmon's flesh appears reddish due to astaxanthin and canthaxanthin found in krill shrimp and other sources, farmed salmon's flesh is close to white. Therefore, aquaculture producers mix synthetic astaxanthin, a coloring agent extracted from petroleum, into the feed to give it a color similar to wild salmon.

Furthermore, there are criticisms that its nutritional value does not meet the 'superfood' standard. For Norwegian salmon, which is mainly imported to South Korea, the omega-3 content is (EPA) 0.46 and (DHA) 0.70, which is about half the level found in mackerel and Atka mackerel.

On the 8th, at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, during the audit of the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries by the Agriculture, Forestry, Livestock, Food, and Maritime Affairs Committee, Representative Yoon questioned Minister Moon Sung-hyuk about the difference between farmed and wild salmon held by an aide. / Photo by Office of Representative Yoon Jae-gap

On the same day (the 8th), Representative Yoon attended the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries' audit and emphasized, "Farmed salmon, which the public trusts and consumes, is loaded with coloring agents, and the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries needs to improve regulations so that this can be disclosed to consumers."

He continued, "There are harmful controversies regarding the coloring agents, and side effects such as abdominal pain and skin discoloration have been reported with excessive consumption, so the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries should stop promoting salmon as a superfood."

Meanwhile, salmon imports, which were 27,537 tons in 2016, have surged by 54.7% over five years to 42,609 tons.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.