Salmon of the Americas on Tuesday said Pew Environment Group’s recent call for the United States to increase testing for banned drugs in farmed salmon was “misleading.”
Last week, Pew urged the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to expand testing of farmed salmon imports from not only Chile but also Canada, Norway, Scotland and Ireland due to “widespread use” of unapproved or banned substances.
SOTA assured consumers that farmed salmon from Chile is safe and nutritious.
“Medicinal treatments for farmed salmon are only applied when absolutely necessary to treat the salmon for specific ailments and never as a preventative treatment,” SOTA said in a press release. SOTA’s statement also confirmed that all treatments of farmed salmon are administered by certified veterinarians and are issued in compliance with appropriate governmental organizations.
“A zero tolerance of antibiotic residue is mandatory in farmed salmon and extended periods of withdrawal are prescribed and monitored by the Chilean Government fisheries department (Sernapesca) and the U.S. FDA prior to harvest and entry into the USA.”
In addition to citing the American Heart Association and The Institute of Medicine’s recommendations for eating salmon as part of a healthy diet, SOTA also reiterated their continued support of FDA testing of imported seafood to “ensure the American consumer the absolute safety of our product.”
