Tuna

This goes for canned Tuna as well.  Reports indicate that Albacore White Canned Tuna has by far the worst levels of mercury, in some studies the levels far exceeded even standards set by the government.  Women of child bearing years including teenage women (pregnant now or hoping to get pregnant one day, nursing) and young children should avoid Tuna. 

Fish and Seafood:  Charting a Course for the Safest Choices, CHEC

However, Delicious Organics offers Vital Choice Albacore White Tuna because we feel confident that this is the safest we can find and that it is okay in moderation for most people (still pregnant and nursing women, children and others at higher risk might want to opt for Vital Choice Salmon instead.)  Vital Choice does not use nets to catch the fish.  The deeper the water, the bigger the fish.  Instead they troll catch smaller surface Tuna that have less contamination.  The canned tuna is also cooked only once to preserve the high omega 3 value.  Most other canned fish that are cooked twice, have higher mercury levels and lower omega 3 levels.  If you're craving your tuna fish, this is the only one to eat.

Letter from Vital Choice founder, Randy Hartnell, in response to my concern with eating and offering Tuna and Halibut with all the latest warnings about those fish, particularly canned Albacore Tuna:

From: Randy Hartnell
Sent: Friday, March 12, 2004 8:57 AM
To: annie@deliciousorganics.com
Subject: Re: Special Mercury Issue

What is the difference between supermarket and Vital Choice custom canned troll-caught Albacore Tuna?

To optimize the purity of Vital Choice albacore tuna, they purchase only from fishermen and boats they know, so they are aware how and where the fish are caught, processed and stored prior to their taking possession.  In addition, they select only the smallest of the available troll-caught fish. Not only does hook-and-line harvest attract the "cleaner" surface-dwelling juvenile fish, but it is also more sustainable than alternative methods.

In contrast, commercial grade tuna is generally "long-lined." This harvest method involves deploying a long submerged line with baited hooks, which tend to attract the larger, older fish having higher mercury levels. Long-lining is also less selective than trolling and results in greater by-catch of non targeted species.

Most canned albacore found in supermarkets today comes from very large canneries using assembly-line techniques to process huge quantities of tuna at a time. What most people do not realize is that albacore tuna sold by the major brands generally comes from larger, leaner albacore that has been cooked twice – and because of this, many natural juices, flavors, and healthful Omega-3s are lost in the process.

In the major commercial canneries the albacore are received, inspected and then cooked whole on large racks. The cooked fish then travel down an assembly line, where workers remove the skin and pull the meat off the bones. During this process many of the natural juices, oils, and Omega-3s drain off the meat and never make it into the cans. The pre-cooked meat is then placed in cans with water, broth, or vegetable oils before being cooked for the second time.

Because younger, smaller, troll-caught albacore naturally have more fat to start with, some of the healthful omega-3s will still survive the high-volume industrial canning processes and make it to supermarket shelves. However, it is easier for big companies to work with the larger, leaner albacore in the assembly line environment. Starting out with less fatty fish right at the beginning means that virtually no Omega-3s are left in the end product.

What is the mercury content of the Vital Choice Tuna?

Recent test results on our albacore showed NO DETECT for PCBs and an average total mercury level of .14 parts per million (ppm). This is less than one-sixth of the FDA's recommended "action level" of 1 ppm, and one-third of the .5 ppm average amount recently found in a sampling of supermarket canned tuna:
"Albacore accounts for about one-third of all canned tuna sold in the U.S. and MPP's independent testing found that mercury levels in white canned tuna averaged over 0.5 ppm."
www.mercurypolicy.org

Recipes:

Dr. Weil's Seared Albacore Tuna

Tuna Au Poivre

Epicurious Tuna Recipes

FoodTv Tuna Recipes