California Court Shoots Down Mercury Labeling for Canned Tuna
On Friday, May 12, a California court sided with the tuna industry in a suit filed by California Attorney General Bill Lockyer that would require the labeling of canned tuna for potential mercury content.
Lockyer’s suit was filed on the heals of a March 2004 recommendation by the EPA and FDA that pregnant and nursing women, women of childbearing age and young children not consume more than 6 ounces of albacore tuna a week, in light of significant mercury levels found in the fish.
Because prenatal and infant exposure to mercury is a known health risk, Lockyer hoped to mandate labels indicating that tuna may contain mercury levels high enough to be of concern for certain segments of the population.
While we all know about Omega-3s and other health benefits related to fish consumption (which makes us want to eat more) it seems that consumers have a right to know about some of the dangers as well (even if it means we might eat less).
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