Asian Seafood Raised on Pig Feces Approved for U.S. Consumers

[madengr]

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-10-11/asian-seafood-raised-on-pig-feces-approved-for-u-s-consumers.html


At Chen Qiang’s tilapia farm in Yangjiang city in China’s Guangdong province, which borders Hong Kong, Chen feeds fish partly with feces from hundreds of pigs and geese. That practice is dangerous for American consumers, says Michael Doyle, director of the University of Georgia’s Center for Food Safety.
“The manure the Chinese use to feed fish is frequently contaminated with microbes like salmonella,” says Doyle, who has studied foodborne diseases in China.
On a sweltering, overcast day in August, the smell of excrement is overpowering. After seeing dead fish on the surface, Chen, 45, wades barefoot into his murky pond to open a pipe that adds fresh water from a nearby canal. Exporters buy his fish to sell to U.S. companies.

So what role does government have? Let the free market work it's course (I won't buy Chinese food stuffs)?

[dannno]

I can't imagine why on earth we would be buying farmed tilapia from China if we had a free market here.

[Keith and stuff]

I buy Chinese sardines. Hope that is different.

[juleswin]

That my friend is a filthy filthy animal


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c0zJSgHDnpw

[Anti Federalist]

Tilapia is FrankenFish anyway.

Feeding them putrid pig shit can't help.

Not that it matters.

Honey Boo Boo and millions like her mama will buy it by the ton at the Wal Marx.

And then wonder why they are getting weird cancers in ten years.

[AGRP]

This is completely fine. We need to hunt down people serving fresh milk to members of private coops.

[angelatc]

Tilapia is FrankenFish anyway.



They're cichlids. Why do you think they're Frankenfish?

LOL - DH and I are talking about them. He says they're one of the most tasteless fish on the market, and they taste like their environment. :)

[Anti Federalist]

They're cichlids. Why do you think they're Frankenfish?

LOL - DH and I are talking about them. He says they're one of the most tasteless fish on the market, and they taste like their environment. :)

I'll have to dig up the article, but the farm raised "food" fish form of tilapia is a GM nightmare that doesn't even exist in the wild, IIRC.

Not only tasteless, but, unlike most fish, actually unhealthy for you in comparison to real, wild caught, fish.

[angelatc]

I'll have to dig up the article, but the farm raised "food" fish form of tilapia is a GM nightmare that doesn't even exist in the wild, IIRC.

Not only tasteless, but, unlike most fish, actually unhealthy for you in comparison to real, wild caught, fish.

DH says that they sex them with hormones, but they're not GMO. And there are issues with antibiotics, because they're packed so densely on the farms that they'd be diseased otherwise.

They're not very nutritious, but that's not because they're farmed. It's just because they're a crap fish.

[MoneyWhereMyMouthIs2]

DH says that they sex them with hormones, but they're not GMO.


Please give me something else to make me feel better. lol

[angelatc]

Please give me something else to make me feel better. lol

My husband has been to the types of processors described in the article. Not Korea, but Thailand and Indonesia, as well as South America. According to him it's amazing that we're all not dead.

But almost all the farm raised fish are sexed like that - not just talipia. (I'm taking dictation here - I don't know squat about seafood.)

[Anti Federalist]

Here we go:


Transgenic Fish Coming

http://www.i-sis.org.uk/TFC.php

Tilapia fish, native to Africa, are cultured world wide as "poor man’s food", second only to carp as warm water food fish, and exceeding the production of Atlantic salmon (whose market value is twice that of tilapia). Tilapia has been extensively genetically modified and promoted as a transgenic fish exclusive for isolated or contained production. Transgenic tilapia, modified with pig growth-hormone, were three times larger than their non transgenic siblings. Tilapia genetically modified with human insulin grew faster than non-transgenic siblings, and could also serve as a source of islet cells for transplantation to human subjects.




However, typical farm-raised tilapia (the least expensive and most popular source) have low levels of omega-3 fatty acids (the essential nutrient that is an important reason that dieticians recommend eating fish), and a relatively high proportion of omega-6. "Ratios of long-chain omega-6 to long-chain omega-3, AA to EPA, respectively, in tilapia averaged about 11:1, compared to much less than 1:1 (indicating more EPA than AA) in both salmon and trout," reported a study published in July 2008.[42] The report suggests the nutritional value of farm-raised tilapia may be compromised by the amount of corn included in the feed. The corn contains short-chain omega-6 fatty acids that contribute to the buildup of these materials in the fish.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tilapia#Nutrition

[fr33]

It doesn't surprise me. Be careful what fish you eat. They love to be shit filterers.

[angelatc]

Here we go:


Transgenic Fish Coming

http://www.i-sis.org.uk/TFC.php

Tilapia fish, native to Africa, are cultured world wide as "poor man’s food", second only to carp as warm water food fish, and exceeding the production of Atlantic salmon (whose market value is twice that of tilapia). Tilapia has been extensively genetically modified and promoted as a transgenic fish exclusive for isolated or contained production. Transgenic tilapia, modified with pig growth-hormone, were three times larger than their non transgenic siblings. Tilapia genetically modified with human insulin grew faster than non-transgenic siblings, and could also serve as a source of islet cells for transplantation to human subjects.




However, typical farm-raised tilapia (the least expensive and most popular source) have low levels of omega-3 fatty acids (the essential nutrient that is an important reason that dieticians recommend eating fish), and a relatively high proportion of omega-6. "Ratios of long-chain omega-6 to long-chain omega-3, AA to EPA, respectively, in tilapia averaged about 11:1, compared to much less than 1:1 (indicating more EPA than AA) in both salmon and trout," reported a study published in July 2008.[42] The report suggests the nutritional value of farm-raised tilapia may be compromised by the amount of corn included in the feed. The corn contains short-chain omega-6 fatty acids that contribute to the buildup of these materials in the fish.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tilapia#Nutrition

Transgenic technology is still in the research stage - that stuff isn't available to the public yet.

[angelatc]

It doesn't surprise me. Be careful what fish you eat. They love to be shit filterers.

Tilapia is a poor man's fish. It's on the same par as carp. But it grows fast, and is hardy.

[coastie]

I only eat fish I catch or buy locally...Had grouper and blue crabs for dinner last night, as a matter of fact. Caught right out of the BP stew.

Last sentence was a slap at the supposed fish being caught everywhere in the Gulf with sores and boils from the BP disaster, I have yet to catch a single mutated/fucked up fish during-and after-that happened. And I'm offshore, fishing- a lot.

I noticed the other day in the supermarket the shrimp were caught in Thailand? THAILAND? WTF, we have LOCAL shrimpers everywhere around here. If you know the seafood houses well enough(or shrimpers), you can get them still alive while they hit the boiling water in your home.

[2young2vote]

I truly don't understand why everyone gets upset about bacteria in the food. I am constantly hearing about meat recalls because it may have been contaminated with this or that. You know what? Cook it to the right temperature and it will kill that bacteria and everything will be fine. People get sick from UNDERCOOKED meat and CROSS CONTAMINATION. If we respect those two ideas then it wont be a problem.

[LibForestPaul]

Food, medical, who the hell still buys any of these type of products from China? Apple juice, fish, toothpaste, hell, unless it is from Europe, and I mean 1st world Europe, I aint buying anything from any foreign country. Gummy bears from turkey, nope. Apple juice from chile, let alone china, hell no. Hard enough trusting that US food supply is safe.

[Dr.3D]

Humm... I wonder if fish that eats hog poop is kosher.

[alucard13mmfmj]

Huh.. I ate talipa once every 1-2 weeks.. and used canola oil. gg imma die.

[GunnyFreedom]

Thank goodness my Sardines are either King Oscar or this really good certified Kosher brand. Just to be sure I will have to find out where King Oscar is sourced, but I know they cost three times as much and taste twice as good for a reason. If there is one thing I can say with certainty about certified Kosher sardines, it's that they won't be raised on pig feces.

[GunnyFreedom]

Humm... I wonder if fish that eats hog poop is kosher.

no, it's not. And no Rabbi with a cert would dream of approving such.

[Keith and stuff]

The great thing about canned fish is that is cooked so that everything is killed. It doesn't matter if the fish was raised on feces or not. It is edible and healthy.

[GunnyFreedom]

I truly don't understand why everyone gets upset about bacteria in the food. I am constantly hearing about meat recalls because it may have been contaminated with this or that. You know what? Cook it to the right temperature and it will kill that bacteria and everything will be fine. People get sick from UNDERCOOKED meat and CROSS CONTAMINATION. If we respect those two ideas then it wont be a problem.

No, not only are there emerging strains of super-bacteria that survive cooking heat, much of the problem is often not the bacteria themselves but the toxins they produce, to which cooking heat is completely irrelevant.

[GunnyFreedom]

The great thing about canned fish is that is cooked so that everything is killed. It doesn't matter if the fish was raised on feces or not. It is edible and healthy.

Good luck with that. All my canned fish is wild caught Salmon. Generally Alaska Pink or Alaska Red. I don't even get tuna anymore.

[Anti Federalist]

Thank goodness my Sardines are either King Oscar or this really good certified Kosher brand. Just to be sure I will have to find out where King Oscar is sourced, but I know they cost three times as much and taste twice as good for a reason. If there is one thing I can say with certainty about certified Kosher sardines, it's that they won't be raised on pig feces.

While sardines have always been King Oscar’s flagship product, the company produces a variety of award-winning seafood products including brisling and Baltic sardines, herring, mackerel, salmon, tuna, cod, and specialty items, as well as fish salads and fish pâtés. The company determines product selection market by market based on regional consumer tastes.

Production

Headquartered in Bergen, Norway, King Oscar maintains production facilities in Svolvær, Norway and Gniewino, Poland. The facility in Poland is world-class and one of the most modern production plants in that country. In fact, the facility received ISO 22000 certification for food safety management in February 2012. However, for quality assurance the company still wood-smokes its brisling sardines and packs all of its products by hand, following Norwegian traditions the same way it has done for more than a century. The fastest packer has been known to fill as many as 600 cans of fish in an hour.

[GunnyFreedom]

My husband has been to the types of processors described in the article. Not Korea, but Thailand and Indonesia, as well as South America. According to him it's amazing that we're all not dead.

But almost all the farm raised fish are sexed like that - not just talipia. (I'm taking dictation here - I don't know squat about seafood.)

There is a reason I am not Jewish or Muslim but tend to prefer Kosher or Halal. They are serious enough about their dietary requirements to post independent rabbis or...whatever they call the halal people...at every stage of production to make sure nothing 'dirty' is involved.

PS - I LOVE Hebrew National hot dogs.... wouldn't eat any other brand for any reason.

[GunnyFreedom]

While sardines have always been King Oscar’s flagship product, the company produces a variety of award-winning seafood products including brisling and Baltic sardines, herring, mackerel, salmon, tuna, cod, and specialty items, as well as fish salads and fish pâtés. The company determines product selection market by market based on regional consumer tastes.

Production

Headquartered in Bergen, Norway, King Oscar maintains production facilities in Svolvær, Norway and Gniewino, Poland. The facility in Poland is world-class and one of the most modern production plants in that country. In fact, the facility received ISO 22000 certification for food safety management in February 2012. However, for quality assurance the company still wood-smokes its brisling sardines and packs all of its products by hand, following Norwegian traditions the same way it has done for more than a century. The fastest packer has been known to fill as many as 600 cans of fish in an hour.

Wow, thanks! +Rep if it lets me give it. Yes, I knew there was a reason I stuck with King Oscar. You do...quite often...get what you paid for.

[GunnyFreedom]

Just for the record, I don't need sourcing data on this one, the kosher sardines I get are:

Season Brand
Skinless and Boneless Sardines in pure olive oil
Distributed by The Manischewitz Company
of Newark New Jersey

has no fewer than THREE Kosher certifications on the box. Circle U, P, and some weird Bishul Yisroel symbol i have never seen before.

Pig shit never goes anywhere NEAR these damn things! :D

[AFPVet]

Who buys farm raised fish anyways? Ewww.

[GunnyFreedom]

THIS symbol I have no idea, never seen it before. I know what "Bishul Yisroel" is, but that doesn't mean the symbol is attached to the text.

http://i47.tinypic.com/x608ch.png

[Anti Federalist]

Wow, thanks! +Rep if it lets me give it. Yes, I knew there was a reason I stuck with King Oscar. You do...quite often...get what you paid for.

More from King Oscar's site, and I didn't know this, that they are not sardines until processed.

They are "brislings" fish.

King Oscar has been producing the world’s finest sardines for over 100 years. But did you know that sardines aren’t actually a fish species – sardines become sardines through a traditional processing method. As many as 11 different species of fish are used to make sardines around the world. At King Oscar, we use remarkably tiny and tender brisling caught wild in the pristine Norwegian fjords and the North Sea, as well as sild and other small fish netted in the Baltic Sea. For superior quality, each and every one of our sardines is packed by hand. Healthy for your heart and your whole body, sardines are a top source of Omega-3’s, protein, calcium, and vitamins B12 and D.



And they have Kosher sardines as well.

I've often said there was inspired wisdom in the Kosher food rules.

[GunnyFreedom]

More from King Oscar's site, and I didn't know this, that they are not sardines until processed.

They are "brislings" fish.

King Oscar has been producing the world’s finest sardines for over 100 years. But did you know that sardines aren’t actually a fish species – sardines become sardines through a traditional processing method. As many as 11 different species of fish are used to make sardines around the world. At King Oscar, we use remarkably tiny and tender brisling caught wild in the pristine Norwegian fjords and the North Sea, as well as sild and other small fish netted in the Baltic Sea. For superior quality, each and every one of our sardines is packed by hand. Healthy for your heart and your whole body, sardines are a top source of Omega-3’s, protein, calcium, and vitamins B12 and D.



And they have Kosher sardines as well.

I've often said there was inspired wisdom in the Kosher food rules.

I did know that sardines weren't a breed of fish, but were made of several different breeds. I almost always get "brisling sardines" but I didn't know that "brisling" was a species, I thought it was a description lmao!

I'm not much of a 'brand recommender' but King Oscar is a brand I do quite seriously recommend. It's not often you encounter a product that leaves you 100% satisfied.

Sardines are also a superfood, and with the good quality ones I literally think more clearly and have a better memory for about the next day or so after eating them, and it's not psychosomatic because I went researching AFTER I noticed it independently and wondered what was happening to me.

[GunnyFreedom]

Before big events where I need a sharp mind I often eat a LOT of sardines and avocados for three days prior, and it really helps no joke.

And yes, I agree that there is deeper wisdom in kosher rules than what it looks like on the surface, what with all the fins and scales and cloven hoof stuff. Kosher coke (particularly the ones marked for Passover) is made with sugar not corn syrup. For about 10 years or so I have tried to mostly eat kosher or halal and it has made a remarkable difference. Apparently I have remarkably good blood pressure for my age and physical condition.

ETA - and the only salt I use (other than the salt already in processed food) is "Himalaya Pink" salt from a hand grinder. Lower sodium than sea salt, but tastes better than table salt. Something else I actually recommend.

[asurfaholic]

I only buy my seafood caught locally. If it is not available in the waters outside my home, then I dont want it.

[roho76]

The great thing about canned fish is that is cooked so that everything is killed. It doesn't matter if the fish was raised on feces or not. It is edible and healthy.

Bake a turd and eat it then.

[Acala]

To my knowledge, ALL sardines are wild caught and are among the safest and healthiest fish to eat. Because they are near the bottom of the food chain they don't concentrate toxins like, for example, tuna. I eat a ton of them. I'm like a seal in a marine theme park. Large tins of sardines are in my food stash. My only concern about them is the potential of BPA in the can linings and hopefully that will be resolved soon by market forces. And, by the way, the answer to the OP is that government needs to stay out of this. Government makes everything worse.

As for tilapia, the farm raised version is really marginal in nutrition, pig shit or otherwise, and are really blagh in the taste department anyway. I avoid them. But they are a really big component in certain off-grid permaculture setups where the fish waste fertilizes plants and in turn the plant waste feeds the fish (tilapia are vegetarian). I'm not sure what the nutritional value is of tilapia raised in such a situation, but I am thinking not great. Probably better off using the plant waste to feed worms and then feeding the worms to chickens. But I digress . . .

Here is a pretty good rundown on what sources are safe for sea food:

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/farmed-seafood-safe-nutritious/#axzz29BYB0qy0

[Acala]

The great thing about canned fish is that is cooked so that everything is killed. It doesn't matter if the fish was raised on feces or not. It is edible and healthy.

Just because something is sterilized does not mean it is edible or healthy. The manner in which a plant or animal lived has a large impact on the composition of its tissue. Just for example, the difference in the ratio of O3 to O6 fatty acids in grass fed cattle versus grain fed cattle is dramatic. Even a few months on grain will cause an otherwise grass-fed steer to revert to mostly O6 in its fat.

[angelatc]

I truly don't understand why everyone gets upset about bacteria in the food. I am constantly hearing about meat recalls because it may have been contaminated with this or that. You know what? Cook it to the right temperature and it will kill that bacteria and everything will be fine. People get sick from UNDERCOOKED meat and CROSS CONTAMINATION. If we respect those two ideas then it wont be a problem.

Agree 100%, but maybe you remember the Jack-In-The-Box incident? The burgers were served undercooked, probably by a clueless teenager trying to make his manager happy by speeding the customers through. Sigh. That's where the court system comes in, but that's no real consolation to a Mom who lost a child because he wanted a birthday hamburger.

[angelatc]

As for tilapia, the farm raised version is really marginal in nutrition, pig shit or otherwise, and are really blagh in the taste department anyway.

Wild tilapia aren't any better. They're a crap fish. DH said the Florida version tastes like the bog it came out of, so one can assume one that was fed pig crap would taste like pig crap.

[angelatc]

The great thing about canned fish is that is cooked so that everything is killed. It doesn't matter if the fish was raised on feces or not. It is edible and healthy.

So, if a catch sat out on the dock in Thailand all day, with flies crawling all over it in the hot sun, and the processor picked it up in the afternoon, treated it with some chemicals to get rid of the stench and then canned it - you'd be ok with that? Because that happens.

[angelatc]

There is a reason I am not Jewish or Muslim but tend to prefer Kosher or Halal. They are serious enough about their dietary requirements to post independent rabbis or...whatever they call the halal people...at every stage of production to make sure nothing 'dirty' is involved.

PS - I LOVE Hebrew National hot dogs.... wouldn't eat any other brand for any reason.

I don't want to burst your bubble, but it's a money racket too.

[Dr.3D]

The great thing about canned fish is that is cooked so that everything is killed. It doesn't matter if the fish was raised on feces or not. It is edible and healthy.

Here is an experiment for ya. Take some some hamburger and leave it out for a week and then cook it so you have killed off all of the bacteria and then eat it. I am certain you will be so sick you won't want to do that again, ever.

It's not the bacteria that make you sick, it's the excrement from the bacteria that makes you sick. Bacteria shit poison and you can't cook that out of the food.

[GunnyFreedom]

Here is an experiment for ya. Take some some hamburger and leave it out for a week and then cook it so you have killed off all of the bacteria and then eat it. I am certain you will be so sick you won't want to do that again, ever.

It's not the bacteria that make you sick, it's the excrement from the bacteria that makes you sick. Bacteria shit poison and you can't cook that out of the food.

This. Yes. Exactly.

[GunnyFreedom]

I don't want to burst your bubble, but it's a money racket too.

I am one of the most naturally suspicious people in the world, and fortunately I know this is not so. You pay more for higher quality food without garbage filler, and that is a premium I am MORE than willing to pay for high quality food. Neither Jews nor Muslims are allowed to profit by scamming their own people.

[angelatc]

I am one of the most naturally suspicious people in the world, and fortunately I know this is not so. You pay more for higher quality food without garbage filler, and that is a premium I am MORE than willing to pay for high quality food. Neither Jews nor Muslims are allowed to profit by scamming their own people.

Technically, nobody is allowed to profit by scamming people. It's fraud.

People spend $12.5 billion dollars every year on kosher products. You think that's not enough to corrupt people? I'm not saying that the Rabbis and their councils are intentionally taking money from non-Kosher products. But people are people...and getting rewarded with somewhere from $2000 to $20,000 for giving the nod to the K makes it lucrative to rewrite the Law.

Look at the story of Hebrew National Hot Dogs. They weren't always kosher, and it's not the ingredients that changed. Orthodox Jews still don't consider them kosher.

[Origanalist]

The great thing about canned fish is that is cooked so that everything is killed. It doesn't matter if the fish was raised on feces or not. It is edible and healthy.

Oh yummy.

[AFPVet]

What a lot of people don't know is that you can kill germs by heating, but it doesn't remove the plaque (the feces of the bacteria). So if they think they can get away with not having to comply with sound farming practices because they can just irradiate the meat, they are sadly mistaken.

[GunnyFreedom]

Technically, nobody is allowed to profit by scamming people. It's fraud.

People spend $12.5 billion dollars every year on kosher products. You think that's not enough to corrupt people? I'm not saying that the Rabbis and their councils are intentionally taking money from non-Kosher products. But people are people...and getting rewarded with somewhere from $2000 to $20,000 for giving the nod to the K makes it lucrative to rewrite the Law.

Look at the story of Hebrew National Hot Dogs. They weren't always kosher, and it's not the ingredients that changed. Orthodox Jews still don't consider them kosher.

Fortunately I don't care about the blessing, the rituals, or the extensive cleansing procedures for the outside of the cow, so the substance of that lawsuit is completely irrelevant to me.

[angelatc]

Fortunately I don't care about the blessing, the rituals, or the extensive cleansing procedures for the outside of the cow, so the substance of that lawsuit is completely irrelevant to me.

I wasn't aware there was a lawsuit until you said that. Do you mean this one? (http://gawker.com/5919604/oy-vey-hebrew-national-kosher-hot-dogs-not-actually-kosher)

Interesting. What part of kosher appeals to you? As far as the cleanliness standards go, animals that don't meet the Kosher standard aren't considered fit for human consumption.

DH kept a kosher kitchen when he ran our seafood store, but the differences weren't in the food itself. It was in the way they handled the food. THe hubby was the resident expert though.

[Anti Federalist]

Wild tilapia aren't any better. They're a crap fish. DH said the Florida version tastes like the bog it came out of, so one can assume one that was fed pig crap would taste like pig crap.

No arguing that.

So is catfish AFAIC.

Wild caught down south tastes like mud.

[Dr.3D]

No arguing that.

So is catfish AFAIC.

Wild caught down south tastes like mud.
From what I recall, if a fish doesn't have scales, it's not kosher. This is for a reason, those that don't have scales usually are the ones that eat crap.

[coastie]

No arguing that.

So is catfish AFAIC.

Wild caught down south tastes like mud.


:eek: Blasphemy, sir! :p

I personally have never caught a wild catfish that tasted like mud, in either LA or FL. EVER. Now, that said, FARM raised catfish=muddy taste, in my experience.

FWIW, wild caught catfish is the ONLY freshwater fish I'll eat(well, salmon too, I suppose, but they live most their lives in the ocean, and AFIK, commercial are all caught in the ocean). Even then its rare I'll even eat those, and I will have to have caught it from a very few out of the way (away from houses/industry)sources that I'm familiar with.

Hard head saltwater catfish are NASTY, however, the Gaff-top sail cats are quite a treat, they're actually really good--with the added bonus of putting up quite a fight!

Fresh water is nasty and you're far more likely to have a fish that swam in some type of toxin in fresh water than you are fish from the ocean.