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Buyer Beware—Organic, Farm Raised, Wild?

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Confused on the labeling for fish: “organic,” “wild” or “farm raised”? You should be, because the USDA does not have organic-certification criteria for seafood. Food & Water Watch reports that any fish with an organic label is imported and is “organic” according to some other country’s standards.

Here is what an “organic” label means:

  • It was farmed (not wild caught)
  • It was produced in accordance with standards set by a private organization or by a country other than the U.S.

Here is what “farm raised” means:

  • The fish was harvested from a controlled environment using standard aqua-cultural methods. The fish could come from a leased bed that uses artificial structures like predator protection. Or the fish was harvested from ocean-based pens. In either case, farmed seafood, like conventionally produced meat, may include chemicals. Antibiotics and added growth hormones are also often used.

Here is what “wild” means:

  • The fish was caught or harvested from non-controlled waters (i.e., wild).
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Debbie Young

Debbie, editor-in-chief of Richardcyoung.com, has been associate editor of Dick Young’s investment strategy reports for over three decades. When not in Key West, Debbie spends her free time researching and writing in and about Paris and Burgundy, France, cooking on her AGA Cooker, and practicing yoga.