Canada

In case you haven't seen this a Canadian researcher has made a bit of news north of the border with a presentation on fish and mercury. Dr. Gideon Koren says his latest work, looking at more than 100 women's hair samples, has lead him to the conclusion that 20% to 30% of Canadian women of reproductive age have mercury levels high enough to damage the brain of a developing fetus.

CFIA tells importers it’s checking net weights April 2, 2009 Washington, DC – In a letter to seafood importers the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) says, as of April first companies “must be in full compliance” with its regulatory requirements, including “net content.” “We brought our continued concerns about net weight fraud to CFIA in January, as they worked on their Strengthened Fish Import Program,” said Patrick McGuinness, President of the Fisheries Council of Canada (FCC.) “They quickly recognized the food safety implications and incorporated, what we consider, a well-crafted plan to increase testing for net weight.” As part of the new effort, foreign firms with a history of poor net weight compliance will receive particular scrutiny. “We’re pleased to see CFIA taking such a thorough and proactive approach on the net weight issue,” said Lisa Weddig, Secretary of the Better Seafood Bureau. “At the same time we’re disappointed that our own Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has failed to recognize the importance of this issue and devote needed resources to it.” CFIA’s short-weight inspection initiative will not only increase inspections but investigate specific short-weight complaints. “The Agency is dedicated to this project and has committed to meet the FCC Short- Weight Committee periodically to review the progress,” said McGuinness. “We appreciate the FDA’s need for more resources but with $650 million worth of food safety funding in place we would hope they could find a way to allocate a few dollars to crack down on this fraudulent activity,” said Weddig. The Better Seafood Bureau (BSB) was established by the National Fisheries Institute to provide a mechanism for industry’s partners in the supply chain – restaurants, retail operations, producers and processors - to report suppliers suspected of committing economic fraud. ### Contact Information:  Gavin Gibbons (703) 752.8891 ggibbons@nfi.org

Better Seafood Bureau Calls Practice Unethical and Illegal August 22, 2008 Washington, DC - Media reports from Toronto to New York are trumpeting the results of a Canadian study that enlisted the help of American teenagers to collect seafood samples for DNA testing. The reports say a quarter of the fish tested was mislabeled. "While there is no way for us to speak to the validity of the study, or its results, it highlights the fact that the integrity of the whole seafood industry is under scrutiny and even allegations of mislabeling and specie substitution can have a serious impact," said National Fisheries Institute President John Connelly. Canadian coverage of the report characterized the Better Seafood Bureau's (BSB) economic integrity efforts as "reputable representatives" dedicated to "ferreting out false marketing." "When you do business with a BSB member you can have peace of mind that you're not going to end up on the wrong end of a DNA test," said BSB Secretary Lisa Weddig. "It's unlikely that this is the last round of DNA seafood tests we'll see in the media." The study's results were published by the University of Guelph as part of an international network of researchers working with the Fish Barcode of Life campaign. "Suggestions in the media that people are unwittingly being served endangered species is a bit of a stretch that puts this story on the road to unnecessary hysteria but the bottom line is, any type of specie substitution is not only unethical it's illegal. BSB members have gotten that message loud and clear," said Connelly. For more than 60 years, the National Fisheries Institute (NFI) and its members have provided American families with the variety of sustainable seafood essential to a healthy diet. For more information visit: www.AboutSeafood.com. ### Contact Information:  Gavin Gibbons 703.752.8891 ggibbons@nfi.org