The Western Farm Press recently asked in a headline, when does trade and commerce trump food safety? and then linked to a story about the now infamous catfish provision from the 2008 Farm Bill. Cavalierly linking to a Beltway write-up on this wasteful, duplicative inspection program in a manner that suggests Western growers and agribusinesses in the region might consider supporting the provision exposes an unfortunate lack of understanding.
There is little doubt that delicious domestic seafood is an iconic part of America’s wider harvest. Shrimp and oysters from the Gulf of Mexico, salmon from Washington, crabs from Alaska and Lobsters from Maine are as red, white and blue as the oft intoned amber waves of grain. But during this Imports Work for America Week it might be interesting to take a moment and find out just how important imported seafood is to our economy.
A Huffington Post column by Mom’s Clean Air Force Senior Director and Co-Founder Dominique Browning is a perfect example of poorly sourced, emotionally based nutrition advice that scares people away from eating seafood. You really don’t have to go any farther than the title to recognize the absurd rhetoric signaling that the column is bogus: “A Worried Mother Does Better Research Than the FBI.”
In a perfect example of the changing media attitude toward science-based information concerning seafood advice, NFI’s registered dietitian, Jennifer McGuire, was given the opportunity last week to clear up some confusing recommendations from Men’s Health editor Eric Adams. In an earlier interview with local DC radio station WTOP, Adams touted the widely misused FDA seafood guidance for pregnant women as the advice everyone should follow, including the magazine’s largely male audience.
Once again, the Huffington Post misleads readers on canned tuna and its environmental impacts. Huff Po presents uncited, out of context information in the form of a slideshow. It would appear that grabbing as many page views as possible, instead of educating readers is a priority at the Huffington Post.
Here’s an Op Ed that ran today in the Washington Times by NFI Vice President Mary Anne Hansan:
HANSAN: Enviros to babies: We hope you’re born dumb
Eco-falsehoods about mercury in fish expose activists who put politics before health
In case you came across this AARP blog posting today “Just How Healthy is Seafood?” You should know we did too. And we felt it was a touch light on… well… facts and science. So, NFI’s registered dietitian reached out with the letter you can read below.
Consumers have been hammered over the last few weeks with a slew of common and calculated pieces of misinformation about mercury in seafood. Not as part of a public education campaign gone awry or faulty reporting, but as part of a targeted lobbying campaign that has nothing to do with fish and that you won’t hear hide nor hair of next week.
Yesterday the Sierra Club posted about mercury on the Huffington Post and unfortunately they chose to make erroneous assertions about seafood throughout the column, rhetoric Huffington Post editors should have flagged, researched and edited themselves. But they failed to. So today we’re making sure they’re aware of the transgressions.
December 6, 2011
Nico Pitney
Managing Editor
Huffington Post
VIA Email
Dear Mr. Pitney,
