Tropical Aquaculture Products of Rutland, Vt., this week launched www.abouttilapia.com, a Web site supporting tilapia producers by providing information about the species to buyers and consumers.
The impetus for the site was a recent study published in the July edition of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association that claimed farmed tilapia contains a potentially hazardous balance of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids for patients vulnerable to inflammation. The study was led by Floyd "Ski" Chilton, Ph.D., professor of physiology and pharmacology and director of the Wake Forest Center for Botanical Lipids. He is author of the 2005 book "Inflammation Nation," which pegs inflammation as the underlying cause of heart disease, allergies and asthma.
Chilton's study concluded tilapia's ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids is 11:1. However, an independent lab analysis shows Tropical Aquaculture's tilapia, which is sourced from farms in South America, has an average omega-6/omega-3 ratio of 4:1, far less than the ratio quoted in Chilton's study, says John Schramm, Tropical Aquaculture's president. Other farms should have similar ratios, depending upon feeds, he adds.
"The risk is assumed if the ratio is 11:1. But if you have that disorder, your doctor is advising you how to shape your diet and treat that disorder. Tilapia is still a healthy part of a diet. No diet is made up of only one product," says Schramm. "There are no accepted findings about [the ratio]. This is just [Chilton's] theory."
The Web site has links to articles supporting tilapia consumption, including a coalition of 14 dietary specialists who decried Chilton's findings.
Schramm notes the study has not affected his company's tilapia sales, but he is concerned that continued media coverage could hurt future sales.
"I don't think there is any more [to slow tilapia sales] than the normal summer blahs of trying to sell tilapia against steak fish. We normally see a 10 to 15 percent decrease in sales now. Once kids go back to school, that's our audience. When they go back, and families eat at home more, we don't want consumers to fear they're not doing the right thing by eating tilapia," says Schramm.
Other tilapia producers, including Aquamericas, support the Web site.
"The comments made by [Chilton] mislead the public, apparently in the sole hope of generating self-serving controversy with the sad result that human nutrition is negatively impacted by the confusion," says David Griffith, general manager of Aquamericas.
Tropical will continue to update the site through the remainder of the year and may include a recipe blog, says Schramm.
