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Frequently Asked Questions
- Why should I buy Safe Harbor seafood?
- How much mercury is in fish?
- Where can I learn more about mercury in seafood?
- Some other companies sell fish that they claim is tested to be lower in mercury. How is Safe Harbor different?
- Some companies do not test the fish they sell, but claim it is low in mercury. How can they make this claim?
- Why hasn't another company sold mercury tested and certified seafood before?
- Why should I buy Safe Harbor Seafood?
- Fish is good for you and nutrition experts recommend that you eat it often. However, government studies report that most seafood contains some level of mercury and certain larger species may contain higher levels of mercury. When you purchase seafood bearing the Safe Harbor seal, you know that all large fish and fish known to contain higher levels of mercury have been individually tested and certified not to exceed the maximum mercury concentration level for that species as identified in our published testing standards. All other fish that are not individually tested are batch tested.
- How much mercury is in fish?
- Mercury concentration varies depending on fish species, size, age and location where harvested. Certain species of fish such as swordfish, shark and king mackerel are known to be higher in mercury on average, while some other types of fish are known to be generally lower in mercury. The Safe Harbor certification does not mean that fish known to be higher in mercury are safe for pregnant women, women who may become pregnant, nursing mothers, and small children. The FDA and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) advise these groups not to eat any amount of swordfish, shark, king mackerel and tilefish, and to eat up to only 12 ounces per week of fish that are lower in mercury. For more information about mercury in fish, consult your physician or the following federal government websites: www.cfsan.fda.gov and www.epa.gov/ost/fish.
- Where can I learn more about mercury in seafood?
- The federal government provides health information on mercury and seafood on the following websites: www.cfsan.fda.gov and www.epa.gov/ost/fish.
- Some other companies sell fish that they claim is tested to be lower in mercury. How is Safe Harbor different?
- Some companies randomly test seafood for mercury by sending samples to a laboratory for evaluation. However, those companies frequently use statistically insignificant sample sizes and do not test all fish known to be higher in mercury. MASI is the only company to test all fish known to be higher in mercury. Based on the comparative testing that MASI has done to date, MASI's testing process has been shown to be as accurate as professional laboratories in measuring mercury levels in seafood.
- Some companies do not test the fish they sell, but claim it is low in mercury. How can they make this claim?
- Some companies claim to sell seafood lower in mercury because they select only younger and smaller fish that are generally known to be lower in mercury than older and larger fish. This includes even fish like swordfish and tuna. While younger and smaller fish generally contain lower levels of mercury, MASI testing shows that mercury levels can and do vary significantly even among younger and smaller fish.
- Why hasn't another company sold mercury tested and certified seafood before?
- MASI has developed new proprietary technology that makes possible the world's first rapid, large-scale mercury-testing process. Previously, testing seafood for mercury had to be done in a laboratory, a time-consuming and costly process. MASI quickly and inexpensively tests seafood for mercury within the fish processing facility.