Not long ago, according to the latest FDA consumer report, pregnant women and other consumers should avoid eating all canned tuna, mainly in view of the current "generally underestimated actual mercury content in each canned tuna." Nevertheless, despite this concern, the FDA recommends that this conclusion be distinguished by the latest scientific results. It concludes that mercury levels in canned tuna may pose a threat to pregnant and lactating women and other consumers, as pregnant women and their fetuses are usually more vulnerable to excessive intake of mercury in canned tuna. The FDA's aim, it claims, is to protect this consumer from the potential harm of "methyl mercury," which can be done.

 

Nevertheless, Gavin Gibbons, an expert at the National Fisheries Association (NFI), argues that the FDA's guidelines in the consumer report "to prevent pregnant women from being harmed by mercury in canned tuna" are ridiculous. The so-called scientific advice in the consumer report, it claims, runs counter to the values of other independent testing reports with a long history in the past decade. And ask which report is the scientific assessment of the industry? And the NFI insists that the FDA Consumer Report, released on June 25, is disappointing because it is "focused on the mercury content of tuna and fundamentally ignores the nutritional value of tuna itself." At the same time, the NFI stressed in a public statement that our research has shown that fish products are important for the growth of babies before birth, especially for pregnant women.

 

On the contrary, FDA's consumer reports reveal that if pregnant and lactating women consume 812 ounces of low mercury products weekly, such as wild salmon, shrimps, sardines, tilapia, or scallops, they are good for this vulnerable consumer group. The reference consumption of fish products for pregnant and lactating women is no more than 18 ounces per week, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). In addition, the EPA also believes that pregnant women with high mercury intake of fish risk, may cause damage to the fetal nervous system. And disclosed that the so-called "high mercury content fish" includes swordfish, mackerel, shellfish, canned tuna, etc.