The non-governmental organization (NGO) Bloom unveiled this Tuesday, October 29, a report* showing dangerously high concentrations of mercury in canned tuna consumed in France and Europe. For the purposes of this investigation, which took 18 months, the NGO analyzed a total of 148 cans of tuna from five European countries including France. The finding is clear: all of the cans of tuna tested are contaminated.
Massive and dangerous contamination
All are contaminated with mercury and more than half (57%) exceed the strict limit of 0.3 mg/kg, defined for certain species of fish, such as pollack or cod. The mercury threshold allowed for tuna is much higher, up to 1 mg/kg, more than three times higher than for other species. The investigation revealed that no method that takes into account the impacts on the health of adults and children is used to define maximum levels of mercury in tuna. “The European public authorities, on the contrary, choose an approach in complete opposition to the duty to protect public health: they start from the actual mercury contamination of tuna to establish a threshold which ensures the marketing of 95% of them” denounces the association. A totally unjustified gap linked solely to economic considerations? In any case, this is what the association says, which explains that “mercury is not less toxic if it is ingested via tuna, only the mercury concentration in the food matters”.
Among the samples, a box of the Petit Navire brand, purchased in France, reached a record concentration of 3.9 mg/kg, or 13 times more than the limit. Despite the health risks, these canned foods remain on sale, while all those exceeding 0.3 mg/kg should be banned.
More controls from public authorities and mass distribution.
Highly consumed in Europe, with an annual average of 4.9 kg per person in France according to figures from FranceAgriMer**, tuna exposes consumers to “one of the ten most worrying substances in the world, such as asbestos or arsenic” affirms the NGO. BLOOM is joining forces with foodwatch, a consumer protection NGO and agribusiness specialist, to ask public authorities to establish a limit in accordance with the standards applicable to other fish, i.e. 0.3 mg of mercury per kg tuna. They also demand a ban on the marketing of tuna products exceeding this limit in the territory, as well as the withdrawal of tuna from nurseries, hospitals, maternity wards, retirement homes and school canteens. In addition, the two NGOs launched a petition to encourage major retailers, Carrefour, Intermarché and Leclerc in France, to implement stricter controls, to stop promoting tuna, and to inform consumers of the health risks linked to mercury contamination.
* https://bloomassociation.org/contamination-au-mercure-bloom-revele-un-scandale-de-sante-publique-dune-amplitude-inedite/
** https://www.franceagrimer.fr/fam/content/download/74190/document/BIL-MER-2024-CHIFFRES-CLES-2023.pdf?version=3.
