Seafood Advisories: Seafood Industry Response

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Seafood Advisories Seafood Industry Response

• Bob Collette, National Fisheries Institute
• Presented at
• Seafood Assessing the Benefits and Risks
• Cook College, New Brunswick, NJ

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Dickens Said it Best

• It was the best of times, it was the worst of
  timesit was the epoch of belief, it was the
  epoch of incredulityit was the spring of hope,
  it was the winter of despairin short, the period
  was so far like the present period, that some of
  its noisiest authorities insisted on its being
  received, for good or for evil, in the
  superlative degree of comparison only. A Tale
  of Two Cities

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The Best of Times

• The American Heart Association recommends two
  servings of fish per week
• The National Inst. Of Health NHLBI supports
  dietary guidance about fish and CVD
• NHLBIs Adult Treatment Panel supports AHAs
  recommendation that fish be part of a
  heart-disease risk-reduction diet

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The Epoch of Belief

• FDA/EPA Fish Advisory, March 2004
• Fish and shellfish are an important part of a
  healthy diet. Fish and shellfish contain
  high-quality protein and other essential
  nutrients, are low in saturated fat, and contain
  omega-3 fatty acids. A well-balanced diet that
  includes a variety of fish and shellfish can
  contribute to heart health and childrens proper
  growth and development. So, women and young
  children in particular should include fish or
  shellfish in their diets due to the many
  nutritional benefits.

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The Epoch of Incredulity

• Absolutely, I would avoid all fish.
• if alcohol and tobacco are harmful and require
  labels, then so should fish.
• I will not introduce tuna to my kids diets.
• --FDA Focus Group Comments, 2003-2004

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The Spring of HopeCurrent future N-3 Benefits

• Alzheimers
• Cancer
• Premature Birth
• Asthma

• Neurodev/ADHD
• Arthritis
• Depression

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The Spring of HopeCurrent future N-3 Benefits

• Enormous body of science showing fish and N-3
  fatty acids reduce the risk of cardiovascular
  disease

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The Winter of Despair

• Farmed salmon higher in PCBs
• 300,000 babies at risk from mercury
• Pregnant women advised not to eat RTE smoked fish
  due to Listeria

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Communications Challenges

• Narrowly targeted audience v. mass media
• Complex science
• Diverse agendas
• Resources

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Communications Challenges

• Narrowly targeted audience v. mass media

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Complex SciencePutting the Risk in Perspective

• 300,000 babies at risk nationwide
• Based on EPA Reference Dose (RfD) for mercury
  (RfD a level of exposure over time believed to be
  without risk)
• Calculates from a CDC study the number of women
  in childbearing years with blood mercury levels
  that exceed the RfD and who might become pregnant.

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Risk and the Rfd

• EPA/FDA Rfd not a bright line between safe
  unsafe
• 10 X safety (uncertainty) factor
• 300,000 women on average about 8 X below
• predicted affects level
• Media interprets as over Rfd affected
• Result-- Consumers eschew all seafood in fear

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MERCURY COVERAGE 2004
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U.S. TUNA SALES4-Wk periods compared to year ago
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HOPE SPRINGS ETERNALIndustry Actions

• NYT, WSJ Op-Eds
• News Releases/ Website
• Interviews
• Partnerships
• Research
• Understanding the risk
• Mitigating the risk
• Risk Comparisons

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MORE TO BE DONE

• Encourage govt to conduct targeted education
  campaign
• Doctors and Health Professionals who provide
  medical services and advice to women and young
  children
• Risk-based programs at harvest, growing and
  processing points to reduce contamination
• E.g. Farmed salmon

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Conclusion

• Fish is not tobacco or alcohol
• Fish has know benefits to adults and children
• Government, health professionals, media and
  industry must work together to assure
  dissemination of proactive effective and
  targeted information to consumers