February 22, 2008

Norway's research counters EU's restriction of plankton-based fish feed
 

EU regulations restrict the use of plankton as feed ingredients as EU said the fluorine in plankton pose a risk to human health but recent research have refuted that claim.

Researchers at Norway's National Institute of Nutrition and Seafood Research (NIFES) have found that fluoride is not accumulated in the fillets of salmon that are raised on plankton-based feed, which contains twice the amount of EU's maximum limit of 150 mg per kg of feed.

Feed trials were also carried out with cod and halibut. Atlantic cod were given krill meal, which has fluoride level that is five times higher than the EU maximum limit, for 75 days. Results showed that fluoride levels in krill meal-fed cods were about the same as cods that were not fed with krill meal.

No fluoride was found in the fillets of halibut that were fed on plankton-based feed, which has a fluoride level that is almost seven times higher than the EU maximum limit.

Cadmium and copper levels were also measured in the trials, but no accumulated was found.

Based on this research, the European Commission is contemplating on increasing the maximum limit of feed fluoride content to 350 mg per kg.

The maximum limit for cadmium has recently been increased.