Is salmon meat pink? If so, you should be more clear the next time you ask your parents to get you a salmon-colored sweater for your birthday. This is because four-fifths of the salmon meat eaten in the U.S. S. isn’t naturally pink—it’s gray. Plus, color is probably the least interesting thing about salmon. Whatever traits we want to give these fish, we should note that they are sensitive, talkative, quick learners with good memories.
Salmon is known and loved for its distinctive pink-orange color. However there is a persistent myth that farmed salmon is naturally gray and has to be artificially dyed to achieve that appetizing hue. Is there any truth to this claim? Let’s find out.
The Natural Color of Salmon
Wild salmon get their color from eating krill, shrimp, and other small crustaceans that feed on astaxanthin, a reddish-orange compound produced by some algae and plankton Astaxanthin is a carotenoid, the same family of antioxidants that give carrots, lobsters, and flamingoes their vibrant colors.
Salmon are unable to produce astaxanthin on their own, so they accumulate it through their diet. The more astaxanthin-containing prey they eat, the redder their flesh becomes. Some species like sockeye salmon consume more of these pigmented foods and so have deeper red flesh. Other species like chinook salmon eat more fish and have paler meat.
So contrary to myth wild salmon are naturally pink – not gray. Their coloration comes from their natural diet.
Do Farmed Salmon Need Dye?
Aquaculture nutritionists make pelleted food that farmed salmon eat while they are raised in pens. To ensure optimal health and color, astaxanthin is added to their feed. Without this supplement, farmed salmon would be pale gray.
The astaxanthin for farm-raised salmon comes from natural sources like algae and yeast. It is the exact same pigment that makes wild salmon pink. There are no artificial dyes or color additives used.
The flesh color of salmon, whether wild or farmed, depends on how much astaxanthin they consume. Farmers can adjust dietary levels to achieve the desired pinkness. But the pigment itself is 100% natural, just like in wild fish.
Why the Dye Myth Persists
So if astaxanthin supplementation is natural and beneficial, why does the myth about dyeing farmed salmon persist? A few reasons:
-
Lack of openness: Some salmon farms used to hide the fact that they used astaxanthin. This fueled suspicion.
-
Consumer demand: Shoppers expect salmon to be pink. Grayish fillets are perceived as unappetizing, even if perfectly healthy.
-
Marketing ploy: The dye myth is perpetuated by competing wild salmon interests as a way to discredit farmed products.
-
Differences in color: The color of wild and farmed salmon can differ since their diets differ. This is misinterpreted as artificial coloring.
-
Sensationalism: Stories about unnatural practices generate more interest and web traffic, even if untrue.
The dye myth has been thoroughly debunked by scientists and salmon farmers, but still stubbornly persists in some circles. Correcting misinformation with facts is an ongoing process.
Health Benefits of Astaxanthin
While originally added solely for color, astaxanthin offers other significant health benefits:
-
A potent antioxidant that neutralizes compounds that can damage cells
-
Boosts the immune system and helps defend against disease
-
Improves cardiovascular function and heart health
-
Protects the skin from sun damage
-
Enhances fertility, embryo development, and reproduction
-
Prevents oxidative stress and inflammation
-
May lower risk factors for diabetes, cancer, and other conditions
Both farmed and wild salmon contain astaxanthin, one reason why eating salmon is so good for you!
Natural Color Doesn’t Equal Healthy Fish
It’s important to note that color alone is not an indicator of quality or nutritional value. Wild salmon can be riddled with parasites and contaminants. Similarly, grayish farmed salmon that missed some astaxanthin supplements can still be perfectly healthy and delicious.
When choosing salmon, look for sustainability certifications like ASC which ensure strict standards for environmental and social responsibility. The natural color of salmon should not be your deciding factor.
The Takeaway
Despite enduring myths, the truth is salmon farmers do not dye their fish. Astaxanthin supplementation adds natural color to farmed salmon, just as eating astaxanthin-containing prey colors the flesh of wild salmon.
So rest assured that rich pink-orange color you love about salmon fillets comes courtesy of Mother Nature herself!
Wild-Caught Salmon Isn’t Dyed—but It Is Still Deadly
Are you up for some salmon with your worms? There are a lot of stories on YouTube about people finding worms in their salmon. We’re not just picking on salmon; biologists in Denmark discovered that a huge 90% of different kinds of wild fish were infected with nematode larvae, which are also known as roundworms. Some people have even contracted flesh-eating bacteria, which can be fatal, from uncooked fish in sushi.
Perhaps companies should list worms on the label for salmon, because data cited by the BC Centre for Disease Control suggest that 75% of wild Pacific salmon are infected with anisakid nematodes, and in another study, researchers in Alaska found nematode infestations in every single fresh-caught salmon they examined.
If a woman who is pregnant or nursing eats fish, she may pass on toxins like mercury to her babies, which can hurt their development. Children born to mothers who ate a lot of fish take longer to learn to talk, walk, and use their fine motor skills. They also have worse memories and can’t focus as well. Scientists at Harvard School of Public Health found that children can lose the ability to use their brains normally forever if they eat fish that is contaminated with mercury. This can happen while they are still in the womb and as they grow up.
Other sea creatures die when people eat salmon. Sea turtles, birds, seals, whales, sharks, and “nontarget” fish that get caught in nets or longlines are called “bycatch” and are thrown overboard. They fall victim to swarming birds or slowly bleed to death in the water.
Dye to Make Salmon Pink Is Hardly the Worst Part
The water in salmon farms is always dirty because so many fish are crammed into small pens. This is how diseases, infections, and parasites get around. Farmers put antibiotics in the water, and the fish eat them. The fish then pass the antibiotics on to people who eat them. Wild fish also take in chemicals from the water they live in, and the meat and fat of fish can have very high levels of toxins like lead, arsenic, mercury, PCBs, DDT, dioxins, and PCBs. You may be chowing down on fire retardant in your salmon patty. Chemicals left behind in salmon meat can be up to 9 million times stronger than those in the water where the fish live.
You are what who you eat—and what they eat—which, along with pesticides and antibiotics, according to Quartz. com, is a “kibble made from a mishmash that could include oil and fish flesh from smaller fish… corn gluten, ground-up feathers, soybeans, chicken fat, genetically modified yeast, and more.” “That doesn’t sound very good, and astaxanthin is an important part of all salmon feed. Fish farms try to use just the right amount to make dead fish bodies look appetizing. One company that makes fish food even has a kind of color wheel that shows how the chemical’s amount will change the color of salmon.
Salmon farmers treat fish like paint cans that need to be mixed, not like people who can learn and remember things and communicate with squeaks, squeals, and other low-frequency sounds that people can only hear with special tools.
Why The U.S. Government Decides The Color Of Our Food – Cheddar Explains
FAQ
Is store bought salmon dyed?
How to tell if salmon is dyed?
Does Atlantic salmon have dye in it?
Is salmon dyed in the UK?