It is one of the great holiday classics, a must on Christmas and New Year’s tables. But smoked salmon, as we commonly find it in supermarkets, is anything but an “innocent” food. The French experts from the consumer magazine remind us of this Que Choisirwhich invite us to pay close attention to what we buy – and above all how often we consume it.
In fact, behind those thin pink slices sold in blisters, in most cases, there is an intensive farming system. The main producing countries – Norway, Scotland and Chile – make extensive use of sea cages where thousands of salmon are crammed into small spaces, exposed to parasites such as sea lice and increasingly aggressive chemical treatments.
Second Que Choisirthe repeated use of biocides and insecticides to combat parasites can leave residues in fish, with potential neurotoxic and endocrine disruption effects, especially if we consider the “cocktail effect” of multiple substances together.
The problem of nutrition (and the environment)
Farmed salmon are carnivorous and are fed fishmeal and oil obtained from anchovies, sardines and other small fish. A practice which, as French experts point out, impoverishes the marine food chain and takes away fundamental resources from predators, seabirds and coastal communities, especially in developing countries.
Partially replacing these feeds with soy is not a solution: it actually contributes to deforestation in South America, simply moving the problem from one ecosystem to another.
Smoked salmon is also often contaminated with PCBs, dioxins, mercury and other heavy metals, which tend to accumulate in the fatty tissues of predatory fish.
Added to this is the issue of antibiotics, used extensively especially in the past, particularly in Chile. It is no coincidence that many brands today highlight the wording “without antibiotics”, which according to Que Choisir it should be read with caution, rather than an absolute guarantee it is in fact often a marketing lever.
And wild salmon?
It might seem like the best alternative, but then again Que Choisir urges caution. Wild Pacific salmon is in fact the victim of overfishing and, in addition to being leaner and less suitable for smoking, it is not free from the problem of environmental contaminants.
How to choose (if you really don’t want to give it up)
If smoked salmon ends up on your holiday menu anyway, French experts recommend paying attention to some details:
The message of Que Choisir it’s clear: there is no perfect smoked salmon. Whether farmed or wild, it remains a food to be consumed occasionally, choosing the best possible product.
