3 ms·
If you ate escolar, you'd really want to know it before you put that fish in your mouth. Escolar contains a minute amount of a toxin that will irritate your ga
by Nrsolis 13y ago
If you ate escolar, you'd really want to know it before you put that fish in your mouth.
Escolar contains a minute amount of a toxin that will irritate your gastro system. You'll be in the bathroom for hours if you eat enough of it, usually just a few pieces.
Some people have a more significant reaction than just mild irritation.
http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/securit/facts-faits/escolar-escolier-eng.php http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/securit/facts-faits/escolar-esc...
http://blog.medellitin.com/2008/12/escolar-world-most-dangerous-fish.html http://blog.medellitin.com/2008/12/escolar-world-most-danger...
- jlgreco 13y agoI've surely eaten it many times before without knowing and have been fine. Regardless, an FDA approved list of fish substitutes would be a good idea and would resolve this concern.
- Nrsolis 13y agoI have eaten it, had trouble, and didn't put two and two together until I read an article explaining the phenomenon of fish mislabeling. SO...maybe go do an experiment: Go eat a nice big portion of escolar (nee "white tuna") and report back. For science.
- jlgreco 13y agoYeah, I'm certainly going to experiment with a small portion first. (I don't really eat large portions of fish anyway.)
- Klinky 13y agoJust because you didn't have a serious reaction, doesn't mean others won't. Mislabeling of food products is not an acceptable solution. Those with food allergies need to know what is going into their food.
- jlgreco 13y agoWell, I can't really speak to that but I assume the FDA can. If escolar is too dangerous to label as Tuna I am sure they can find other fish that are not. If they okay a fish substitution, I am happy.
- Nrsolis 13y agoYou're making a gross assumption if you think the FDA is worried about things like this. Fish mislabeling has been reported as far back as 2005 and nothing has changed. The FDA is overworked and underfunded. They have their hands full regulating an industry that is constantly out-maneuvering them. Between the drug lobbyists and the supplement industry, we're lucky we have any resources left to dedicate to food safety. Go do some research into how many actual FDA inspectors are covering the multitude of just meat producers and you'll grasp the scale of the problem.
- jlgreco 13y agoThe FDA has already investigated escolar, so that isn't a problem: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Escolar#Regulation_and_banning http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Escolar#Regulation_and_banning Food labeling is already a part of what the FDA overviews, so they won't have to make a new department or some shit to issue a new rule about labeling a few fish. I am not proposing that the FDA go test fish and make sure nobody is mislabeling things. Inspector incompetence isn't an issue for this proposal since additional inspections would be unnecessary. I am proposing that the FDA adopt an official policy of turning a blind eye to the mislabeling of fish (while issuing some minimal safety guidance). If they do this right, it would actually reduce the amount of work they are suppose to be doing. The fact that the FDA is overworked, fatigued, and disinterested is one of the reasons this is a good idea. FDA overwork and disinterest would be a concern if I wanted to force people to correctly label fish. I want the opposite, I want the status quo to be officially endorsed.