"In this day and age, this shouldn't be happening."
Experts have warned that tinned tuna sold in the UK could contain a toxic metal, Methylmercury. They have stressed this is a public health concern that cannot be ignored.
Mercury, which poses a particularly serious risk to pregnant women and children and has links to cancer, was found in almost all of the 150 cans purchased in Britain, France, Italy, Spain and Germany as part of a study.
Foodwatch and Paris-based NGO Bloom found that out of 150 tins, 148 contained mercury, 57% of which exceeded the 0.3 mg/kg limit.
Tests on the tuna tins showed “contamination” with the metal, which can impair brain development and trigger life-threatening lung damage.
Karine Jacquemart, CEO of Consumer Rights Organisation Foodwatch France — one of the two groups behind the report – asserted:
“What we end up with on our dinner plates is a colossal risk to public health that’s not considered seriously.
“We won’t give up until we have a more protective European standard.”
The report revealed that one tin bought in a Paris Carrefour City store had a record level of 3.9 mg/kg, 13 times the 0.3 mg/kg limit.
Bloom and Foodwatch urge governments to “activate a safeguard clause”.
They want this to prevent the sale and promotion of products exceeding 0.3mg/kg.
They also called for governments to remove “all products” with tuna from school canteens, nurseries, maternity wards, hospitals, and care homes.
Approximately 80% of mercury released into the atmosphere from natural and anthropogenic sources finds its way into the oceans. There, microorganisms transform it into a toxic substance called methylmercury.
Mother of two Nadia showed frustration as she told DESIblitz:
“It’s getting ridiculous. First issues were with water, and now this. It’s not the first time something has come out about toxicity in foods.
“In this day and age, this shouldn’t be happening. But money and profit are put before the safeguarding health and well-being of general people.”
Julie Guterman, a researcher at Bloom and the principal author of the survey, stated:
“Mercury is a powerful neurotoxin that binds to the brain and is very difficult to get rid of. Everyone knows that.”
However, Pesca España, a Spanish association named in Bloom’s report, stated that the alarm was unnecessary. They asserted that they “never denied at any time the presence of mercury in fish”.
Pesca España told Food Ingredients First:
“We simply wanted to inform the population that it does not really pose a health risk at all.
“The selenium in fish, in addition to neutralising the effect that mercury may have, is highly beneficial to health.
“It is a powerful antioxidant that may reduce the risk of cancer and is essential for thyroid function and the immune system.
“The European Food Safety Authority has clarified that, despite the levels of mercury exposure, fish provides benefits, and its consumption is recommended.”
Yet, those concerned continue to highlight that the levels cannot be ignored. Mercury targets the liver, the nervous, developmental, immune and reproductive systems.
At the European level, Bloom claims that international bodies involved in setting the standard for mercury contamination of seafood often act under the influence of “tuna giants”.
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