CATDOLL : CATDOLL: Is “freshwater salmon” a fake?

Recently, a media report said that 1/3 of the "salmon" on the Chinese market was "contracted" by Longyangxia Town in Qinghai Province. However, this so-called "salmon" is not Atlantic salmon, but rainbow trout, a kind of exotic species. Currently, e-commerce platforms such as Tmall and JD.com sell "freshwater salmon", but they all hide the true identity of "rainbow trout" and recommend consumers to eat it raw in the form of salmon.

Chinese salmon sashimi lovers who don't watch the news probably find it hard to imagine that the 9,000 tons of "salmon" they consume every year don't come from the distant deep sea, but from the Yellow River reservoir. In this regard, some people reflect on whether large-scale rainbow trout farming will threaten indigenous fish, and some talk about the dangers of parasites when eating freshwater fish raw... For more than 10 years, the dispute over real and fake salmon has been fermenting among the people. Whether triploid rainbow trout can be called "salmon" or not, it is probably time to give an authoritative statement.

First, if it is a dispute of scientific cognition, it is up to each person to have a different opinion, but if it is related to consumer rights, it is necessary to distinguish between "Li Kui" and "Li Gui". At present, the US Food and Drug Administration has clearly stipulated that rainbow trout shall not be labeled as salmon on food packaging. Then, according to international practice, there must be some difference. Secondly, from the perspective of industrial value and terminal pricing, the cost and selling price of traditional salmon (salmon) and freshwater farmed rainbow trout are very different. It is theoretically impossible and should not be done to sell "freshwater salmon" at the price of deep-sea salmon. Finally, the concept of "salmon" understood by Chinese consumers and the rainbow trout provided by farming companies are obviously very different. A few sellers do not mention the family of rainbow trout, take advantage of the popularity of salmon, sell at the price of salmon, and even keep it secret. In essence, they are suspected of commercial fraud and subjective malicious behavior suspected of infringing consumers' right to know and right to choose independently.

Which family rainbow trout should belong to is a biological question; whether rainbow trout can use information asymmetry to impersonate the deep-sea salmon concept in consumers' cognition is a question of market fairness. Even if triploid rainbow trout belongs to the "salmon" family, it is the basic bottom line of responsible companies to note rainbow trout and its scientific name and inform consumers of basic information. A freshwater fish and a deep-sea fish, the former is beautified to look like the latter and sold at a high price, which is tantamount to fishing in troubled waters for the entire industry chain. Under the premise of not being able to clearly trace the source, indicate the place of origin, and distinguish between natural and factory farming, if the seller does not indicate the risks of eating raw food, the greater the output, the greater the hidden dangers.

The taste and value of rainbow trout are one thing, and how to "package and market" is another - especially in today's sensitive food safety issues, how the growing freshwater rainbow trout industry chain will move forward is not only a question of the right path of an industry, but also concerns the vital interests of tens of millions of consumers and the order and rules of the market. According to data, Chilean salmon exports to China doubled from 2014 to 2016. According to a survey by Rabobank, the EU, the United States and China account for more than 70% of the world's farmed salmon consumption. In this context, if deep-sea salmon and freshwater rainbow trout are always "indistinguishable" due to human factors, how can we stop merchants from cheating consumers with fake salmon and seeking profits?

The current situation is that everyone has their own opinions. Whether it is biological classification or whether rainbow trout is cheap and good quality, for consumers, they may just want to know what they are buying and eating. There is a detail worth pondering: if salmon is indeed a large category, why does rainbow trout have to add a "freshwater" label in front? This also suggests a realistic problem: the naming of aquatic products lacks authoritative review and standardized operation. In this regard, it is better to learn from the naming rules of the complete chemical name, common name and trade name in the pharmaceutical field, and inform consumers of the common name, scientific name, trademark, etc. of aquatic products.

Nowadays, facing the increasingly large consumer category of "freshwater salmon", the functional regulatory authorities can no longer sit idly by while associations, enterprises and public opinion fight each other.

Source: Guangming Daily

Recently, a media report said that 1/3 of the "salmon" on the Chinese market was "contracted" by Longyangxia Town in Qinghai Province. However, this so-called "salmon" is not Atlantic salmon, but rainbow trout, an alien species. Currently, e-commerce platforms such as Tmall and JD.com sell "freshwater salmon", but they all hide the true identity of "rainbow trout" and recommend consumers to eat it raw in the form of salmon.

Chinese salmon sashimi lovers who don't watch the news probably find it hard to imagine that the 9,000 tons of "salmon" they consume every year don't come from the distant deep sea, but from the Yellow River reservoir. In this regard, some people reflect on whether large-scale rainbow trout farming will threaten native fish, and some talk about the dangers of parasites in freshwater fish. For more than 10 years, the dispute over real and fake salmon has been fermenting among the people. Whether triploid rainbow trout can be called "salmon" or not, it is probably time to give an authoritative statement.

First, if it is a dispute of scientific cognition, it is up to each person to have a different opinion, but if it concerns consumer rights, it is necessary to distinguish between "Li Kui" and "Li Gui". At present, the US Food and Drug Administration has clearly stipulated that rainbow trout shall not be labeled as salmon on food packaging. Then, according to international practice, there must be some distinction. Secondly, from the perspective of industrial value and terminal pricing, the cost and selling price of traditional salmon (salmon) and freshwater farmed rainbow trout are very different. It is theoretically impossible and should not be done to sell "freshwater salmon" at the price of deep-sea salmon. Finally, the concept of "salmon" understood by Chinese consumers and the rainbow trout provided by farming companies are obviously very different. A few sellers do not mention the family of rainbow trout, take advantage of the popularity of salmon, sell salmon at the price of salmon, and even keep it secret. In essence, they are suspected of commercial fraud and subjective malicious behavior suspected of infringing consumers' right to know and right to choose independently.

Which family rainbow trout should belong to is a biological question; whether rainbow trout can use information asymmetry to impersonate the deep-sea salmon concept in consumers' cognition is a market fairness issue. Even if triploid rainbow trout belongs to the "Salmon-type" family, it is the basic bottom line for responsible companies to note rainbow trout and its scientific name and inform consumers of basic information. A freshwater fish and a deep-sea fish, the former is beautified to look like the latter and sold at a high price, which is tantamount to fishing in troubled waters for the entire industry chain. Under the premise of not being able to clearly trace the source, indicate the place of origin, and distinguish between natural and factory farming, if the seller does not indicate the risks of eating raw food, the greater the output, the greater the hidden dangers.

The taste and value of rainbow trout are one thing, and how to "package and market" is another - especially in today's sensitive food safety issues, how the growing freshwater rainbow trout industry chain will move forward is not only a question of the right path of an industry, but also concerns the vital interests of tens of millions of consumers and the order and rules of the market. According to data, Chilean salmon exports to China doubled from 2014 to 2016. According to a survey by Rabobank, the EU, the United States and China account for more than 70% of the world's farmed salmon consumption. In this context, if deep-sea salmon and freshwater rainbow trout are always "indistinguishable" due to human factors, how can we stop merchants from cheating consumers with fake salmon and seeking profits?

The current situation is that everyone has their own opinions. Whether it is biological classification or whether rainbow trout is cheap and good quality, for consumers, they may just want to know what they are buying and eating. There is a detail worth pondering: if salmon is indeed a large category, why does rainbow trout have to add a "freshwater" label in front? This also suggests a realistic problem: the naming of aquatic products lacks authoritative review and standardized operation. In this regard, it is better to learn from the naming rules of the complete chemical name, common name and trade name in the pharmaceutical field, and inform consumers of the common name, scientific name, trademark, etc. of aquatic products.

Nowadays, facing the increasingly large consumer category of "freshwater salmon", the functional regulatory authorities can no longer sit idly by while associations, enterprises and public opinion fight each other.

The report mentioned: In the Longyangxia Reservoir in Gonghe County, Qinghai Province, there is the largest salmon farm with the highest altitude in my country; now, salmon from the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau account for one-third of the domestic salmon market.

The China Fisheries Association published an article on its official website to clarify and dispel relevant misunderstandings.

Controversy 1: Is rainbow trout from the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau salmon?

Answer: Yes.

The China Fisheries Association said:

"Rainbow trout is not salmon" is a misunderstanding. The salmon commonly referred to is a general commercial name for salmon and trout, not the scientific name of a fish. "Salmon also includes Atlantic salmon, Pacific salmon, rainbow trout and other species."

It turns out that there are many kinds of "Salmon". Here is some basic information for you:

According to China National Radio, the scientific name of salmon is Salmonidae, which is divided into sea trout and rainbow trout. In the consumer markets of different countries, salmon covers different types. Norwegian salmon is mainly Atlantic salmon, Finnish salmon is mainly farmed large-sized red meat rainbow trout, and American salmon is mainly Alaskan salmon.

Wang Bingqian, a researcher at the Heilongjiang Fisheries Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, said: "Salmon is not a scientific name, but a general name for the commodity in the industry. Whether it is rainbow trout or Norwegian Atlantic salmon, they are all collectively referred to as salmon in the industry. Because the English name is "salmon", which is transliterated as "Sanwen", the name "Salmon" does not mean that Atlantic salmon can be used but rainbow trout cannot be used.

Most so-called "freshwater salmon" are actually rainbow trout

Rainbow trout are named for the light rainbow color on their sides. Freshwater farming is less expensive.

Currently, Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) is the salmon with the largest production and the highest market popularity in the world.

The vast majority of salmonids are migratory fish. Whether wild or farmed, the spawning, hatching and juvenile stages are all completed in fresh water. They migrate during the growth period or are artificially released back into seawater, and return to fresh water to spawn after sexual maturity.

Rainbow trout can survive in both seawater and freshwater. Atlantic salmon spend the first half of their lives in freshwater and swim into the sea in the second half. When they swim into the sea, their bodies become rainbow-colored. It also has rainbow colors. Norway, Chile and other countries are either close to the Arctic or the Antarctic, with low water temperatures, which are suitable for seawater aquaculture. The Qinghai Longyang Gorge, located on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, is 2,600 meters above sea level, with an average annual water temperature of 12°C and no freezing, which is an ideal and unique breeding environment for salmon and trout.

Controversy 2: Can freshwater salmon be eaten raw?

Answer: Yes.

As we all know, freshwater fish and shrimp contain many parasites, such as lung flukes, liver flukes, and broad tapeworms. Eating them raw can infect the human body, and some can be fatal. Therefore, eating freshwater fish raw is extremely risky! Eating them raw, pickled, or drunk is not safe.

Freshwater fish and shrimp are infested with many parasites, such as lung flukes, Clonorchis sinensis (which live in the liver and gallbladder, commonly known as liver flukes), Gnatostoma nematodes, and Diphyllobothrium latum. Eating them raw can infect humans, and some can be fatal. Among these parasites, Clonorchis sinensis is the most common in China.

Currently, about 35 million people in the world are infected with this parasite, and Chinese people account for three-sevenths of the total number. The Guangdong and Guangxi regions are the most seriously affected. A 2008 study showed that the infection rate in Guangdong was as high as 16.42%.

Then there are the gnathostomia and tapeworms, which are the kind of restless parasites that run around.

It only takes a second or two to eat a fish, but it may take months to eliminate the ingested Clonorchis sinensis (the symptoms of infection often take several months to subside), not to mention the tapeworms and gnathostomima that can run around and cause harm wherever they go.

So can freshwater salmon be eaten raw?

The China Fisheries Association said: Whether salmon has parasites or not is not determined by whether it grows in seawater or freshwater, but by whether its growth process is safe and controllable. Industrially farmed salmon with standardized management, strict monitoring, clean water, and good feed are easier to guarantee quality and safer to eat.

Wang Bingqian from the Heilongjiang Fisheries Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences introduced that both marine and freshwater fish can be eaten raw, provided that a process must be followed. There must be no chance of infection by pathogens or no pathogens during the breeding process. There must also be a freezing process before eating. We eat fish meat, not fish skin. The freezing process will directly kill the parasites on the surface.

At present, the rainbow trout and other salmon fish farmed in China are all artificially prepared. They are all sterilized by high pressure, so the so-called parasites are generally not present in the diet.

Domestic rainbow trout live in flowing cold water, so the chance of parasites is extremely low. Wang Bingqian said that salmon farmed in seawater is not necessarily free of parasites, and salmon farmed in freshwater is not necessarily free of parasites.

Wang Bingqian also introduced that for many years, Nordic marine farmed salmon have been sold in large quantities to the Chinese market. The so-called dispute over the authenticity of marine and freshwater salmon is mainly a commercial marketing dispute and has nothing to do with academics.

Cui He, president of the China Aquatic Products Circulation and Processing Association, said that domestic salmon farming is indeed dominated by freshwater farming, accounting for 98%, but this does not mean that marine farmed salmon is more expensive than freshwater farmed salmon. It is understood that Atlantic salmon and rainbow trout are also farmed in Norway and Chile. In terms of popularity, many locals prefer rainbow trout, and the price of rainbow trout is higher than that of Atlantic salmon. According to data from 2014, among large-sized marine farmed products, the output of large-sized rainbow trout is second only to that of Atlantic salmon.

In addition, the China Fisheries Association also stated that "the color of rainbow trout is not as good as that of Atlantic salmon, and it is 'adulterated' with pigments" is a misunderstanding. The article explains that the color of all salmon, including Atlantic salmon and rainbow trout, comes from the astaxanthin in the food, so there is no problem with the color of the species. Farmed salmon add artificially extracted pure natural astaxanthin to the feed to achieve the effect of enhancing the color of the meat. Astaxanthin is the strongest antioxidant discovered by humans in nature so far. It is harmless to the human body and is good for whitening and sun protection.