Today, The New York Times is reporting the finding of very high levels of mercury in tuna sushi in recent lab tests commissioned by the newspaper from a sampling of 20 Manhattan restaurants and food stores. Included in the study was sushi from some of the most prestigious food palaces, including Drew Nieporent's Nobu Next Door, part of the famed Nobu restaurant chain, as well as the high-end grocer Gourmet Garage.
According to The New York Times, "Tuna samples from the Manhattan restaurants Nobu Next Door, Sushi Seki, Sushi of Gari and Blue Ribbon Sushi and the food store Gourmet Garage all had mercury above one part per million, the “action level” at which the F.D.A. can take food off the market. (The F.D.A. has rarely, if ever, taken any tuna off the market.) The highest mercury concentration, 1.4 parts per million, was found in tuna from Blue Ribbon Sushi. The lowest, 0.10, was bought at Fairway."
Other critical findings:
Higher-priced blue fin tuna sushi, such as that often served at the most prestigious restaurants, had the higher levels of mercury.
A scientist involved in the study recommended limiting the consumption of tuna sushi suspected of high mercury contamination to no more than once every three weeks.
In a separate study last fall, New Yorkers' mercury blood level was found to be three times higher than the national average, according to the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, especially among Asian-born New Yorkers and the more affluent. It is thought that both groups eat more fish than many other groups in the city.
"Many experts believe the government’s warnings on mercury in seafood do not go far enough," according to the NYT.
The disturbing bottom line of the article by noted nutrition expert Marian Burros is that the mercury levels found in NYC restaurants are likely be present in eateries in other parts of the country. And for a population told for years to eat fish for better health, that's a dangerous disappointment indeed.
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Thanks for your post on the New York Times' local story about mercury in sushi. Oceana, an international marine conservation organization, published an even more extensive national study on mercury levels in fresh tuna, swordfish and tilapia from supermarkets, and tuna and mackerel from sushi restaurants. The good news is that mackerel and tilapia are low-mercury fish and can be eaten safely. The bad news is that swordfish and fresh tuna have high levels of mercury, and consumers should be leery.
The Food and Drug Administration has recommended that women of childbearing age and children completely avoid eating swordfish and limit consumption of fresh tuna to six ounces or less a week. Even if people are familiar with this advice concerning mercury, they probably don’t readily carry it while dining out or shopping for their weekly groceries. Additionally, Oceana’s study found that 87 percent of seafood counter attendants couldn’t provide shoppers with the FDA warning, so you shouldn’t rely on them to give you the government advice either.
Posting signs in grocery stores would provide this crucial information in a way that is accessible and easily understood. Major grocery companies like Kroger, Safeway and Albertsons are posting the FDA advice at their seafood counters. Still other grocers, like Costco, Publix and A&P, refuse to post a sign and give this important information to their customers. There is no reason to cut seafood totally out of your diet, but it is important to know what kinds of fish are potentially harmful and how to avoid them. Check out Oceana’s new report and get the full story.
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