As of June 25, 280 people have been confirmed in Beijing's new crown pneumonia epidemic, but at the beginning of the epidemic, "the salmon case board detected the new crown virus", which once made "salmon" the focus of everyone's attention.
"Salmon" is a kind of "high-end ingredient" in the hearts of many people, delicious, tender meat, nutritious, clean, expensive...
However, just after the outbreak of the new crown pneumonia epidemic in Beijing, the German and French Public Television (ARTE) exposed the Norwegian salmon farming environment, "a large number of salmon are crammed into dirty, excrement-filled fecal water", and the high density of aquaculture has also flooded the fish lice, and the seawater of the farm is "full of sick fish".
And such salmon shipped to China, but may become a delicacy on the table of many people!
<h1 class= "pgc-h-arrow-right" > salmon in the cesspool, but it has become a delicacy on the table of the Chinese people! </h1>
A documentary investigation by the German-French Public Television (ARTE) reported that Norway, a major producer and exporter of salmon, has an average annual sales of 50 billion euros. In the northern norwegian waters, there are huge offshore salmon "farms", each with tens of thousands of fish.
Investigative reporters sneaked into Norwegian salmon farms with cameras, "I knew I would see fish gasping for breath because of the crowds, but the sight was even more terrifying: a large number of fish crammed into the dirty waters filled with their excrement." Many of the diseased salmon are covered with sores as large as the palms of their hands, and some have become S-shaped deformed fish." Statistics show that the mortality rate of farmed salmon is as high as 20%, and high-density farming has also caused fish lice to flood.
In addition to poor farming conditions, farmed salmon also threaten the survival of wild salmon. Scala, a researcher at the Norwegian Institute of Oceanography, said that the current number of wild salmon in Norway is about 530,000, and there are 400 million in captivity. Every year, about 183 000 farmed salmon escape the farms and enter the ocean. They not only compete with the latter for food, but also transmit fish lice to the latter.
At a glance, there was salmon excrement everywhere, and the water was already muddy and indistinct. The dead fish sank to the bottom of the sea, and the sick fish had palm-sized ulcers exposed on their bodies.
I dare not imagine that a small plate of salmon sashimi, which costs nearly 100 yuan, is such a harsh breeding environment, it is really too dirty...
Similarly, other health issues in salmon are worth paying attention to.
On June 15, the French newspaper Le Figaro reported that after some salmon products were found to be infected with the deadly bacteria (Listeria monocytogenes), a number of large supermarkets in France have removed salmon-related products from the shelves since June 12. Consumers who have already purchased are reminded not to eat, as they will cause "fever" and "headache" after eating, and need to seek medical attention immediately.
Listeria is a deadly bacterium that can cause meningitis, sepsis, miscarriage, and infections in newborns, infections in people with immune system deficiencies, and mortality rates range from 30%-40%.
Farm workers spray pesticides into salmon cages. Image according to ARTE
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" > China has become a big consumer of salmon</h1>
In 1985, Norway began exporting salmon to China. In the past 35 years, salmon has gradually infiltrated into the table of the Chinese people. The first step into China, break into high-end catering (especially buffets, Japanese food), and get a healthy and high-end aura. The second step is to find a foothold in light food and high-end boutique supermarkets.
Import, nutrition, high-end, health... As soon as these labels are played, salmon fully meets the consumption upgrade needs of the domestic "new middle class".
The price of salmon sashimi in Japanese restaurants ranges from hundreds to thousands of dollars, as well as high-end but elegant eating experience, attracting many Chinese. Among them, there are many people who follow the trend and eat salmon.
According to data released by salmon fishery information news website Salmon Business, from January to April this year, Norway accounted for an absolute share of 45% of all chilled salmon imported from China. Data from the Norwegian Seafood Board also shows that China is a large consumer of farm-grown salmon in Norway, and the total amount of fresh salmon imported into China doubled in 2019 to 3141 tons, worth $150 million.
"Salmon is a high-end product in Asia, mainly eaten raw. If people start questioning the safety of salmon, they certainly won't eat it again unless it proves completely safe," said a relevant industry insider abroad. Several European salmon producers, including Royal Norwegian Salmon, have confirmed that their company's salmon imports to the Chinese market have been temporarily suspended.
A sick salmon. According to the British "Independent"
For safety, salmon is best cooked before eating!
A few years ago, mr. Cai Lan, a writer and gourmet, raised two questions about salmon sashimi in the article "Cai Lan on Japanese Cuisine":
"First, salmon swim into freshwater rivers to spawn. But which of today's rivers is clean? Therefore, salmon is generally not clean enough, there are many parasites, and it is not suitable for sashimi. ”
"Second, the other fish, before decaying, the color changes, there is a warning to you, salmon, still so yellow and clear, still bright."
Finally, Cai Lan concluded, "Among the best sushi shops in Japan, there is absolutely no such flavor (salmon) for sale, and there are salmon for sale (shops) that are sold to foreigners.
Previously, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) also did not approve of the public eating salmon directly raw, at least to heat it above 63 ° C to avoid infection with parasites.
Lei Min, deputy chief physician of the Department of Nutrition of the Third Hospital of Hebei Medical University, reminded in 2016 in the Health Times that salmon and other marine fish are easily contaminated in production, storage and transportation, and parasites and bacterial pollution occur. So, if it's for safety, it's best to cook it.
References for this article:
(1) German-French Public Television (ARTE) documentary "Farming Crimes" (2)2020-06-18Red Star News "Norwegian Salmon on the Cusp of Being Exposed to "Farming Crimes"" (3)2016-04-12 Health Times "Don't Eat Salmon" (Lei Min, Deputy Chief Physician of the Nutrition Department of the Third Hospital of Hebei Medical University)
Editor of this article: Lu Yang
Review Director: Yang Xiaoming