Guardian investigation finds “dangerous labour conditions, antibiotic overuse and ecological harm” in production of salmon in Chile
A new article in The Guardian exposes just how problematic salmon raised in Chile is. The salmon industry regularly violates safety regulations causing a high number of injuries and deaths among salmon farm workers. “Those who eat Chilean salmon cannot imagine how much human blood it carries with it,” quotes The Guardian.
Moreover, the fish are pumped with antibiotics, a recognition that they are kept in filthy, unhealthy conditions. The antibiotics not only help create antibiotic resistant bacteria, but they and other chemicals used by the industry, break havoc with the environment.
Chile is the largest exporter of salmon to the US – over 50% of the salmon Americans consume comes from Chile. While supermarkets don’t label Chilean salmon as such, you can safely assume that most of the farmed salmon (labeled as Atlantic salmon, the name of the species, not the locale) comes from Chile – so your best bet is to avoid all farmed salmon unless you know for a fact it has a different origin. Wild salmon is somewhat more expensive, but it’s also higher quality.
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