Originally published January 9 2006
Advocacy group requests FDA require mercury warnings be posted by seafood vendors
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
The Center for Science in the Public Interest has asked the FDA to institute requirements for seafood counters to post warnings about the mercury content in fish.
The health and nutrition advocacy group Center for Science in the Public Interest on Tuesday called on FDA to ask states to require seafood counters to post warnings of mercury in fish, which at high levels has been shown to contribute to birth defects, CQ HealthBeat reports (CQ HealthBeat, 12/6).
FDA has issued public advisories warning about the possible effects of elevated mercury levels and recommending limits on the consumption of mercury-containing fish by children and women of childbearing age (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 8/23).
According to CSPI Food Safety Director Caroline DeWaal, current FDA mercury advisories are "very complex" and "clearly not intended for the general public."
A federal standardized warning could decrease confusion about mercury's potential risks among state policymakers, seafood retailers and consumers, according to CSPI.
DeWaal added that FDA should ask stores "to put clear information right at the fish counter, where pregnant women or those serving young children can easily see it" (CSPI release, 12/6).
However, David Acheson, director of food safety and security at FDA's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, said, "A generic message could be misinterpreted and lead the general public, as well as the targeted audience, to miss out on the benefits of eating fish," adding that "science indicates that the message needs to be targeted" at pregnant women and parents of young children (CQ HealthBeat, 12/6).
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