New view of Faroe Island mercury study
Below is a synopsis of the refutation from the study's original scientist (Faroe Islands Mercury Study). The methyl mercury found in the childern's and mother's blood was from
pilot whale meat and not fish. All of our public policy in the US is being pushed by references to this Faroe Islands study instead of the equally thorough mercury study done in the Seychelle Islands which found no harm to children and pregnant women from a diet rich in fish.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Molly Heath
February 10, 2004 617-646-1046
Faroe Island Lead Scientist and Physician Says Whale Meat, Not Fish, Cause of Mercury Threat To Children
Says Fish Consumption Is Beneficial To Children™s Health
Boston, MA (February 10, 2004) Œ
The chief physician for The Faroese Hospital System and the researcher in charge of methylmercury research of children in the Faroe Islands since 1985 corrected information released recently in several major New England newspapers concerning the source of mercury exposure in the Faroe Islands. Pal Weihe provided a statement to the New England Seafood Producers Association stating that
children were exposed to mercury through the consumption of pilot whale meat, not fish. Weihe stated that fish normally consumed in the Faroe
Islands, including cod and haddock, are low in mercury and in his opinion do not
constitute any threat to the health of the Faroese children. He went on to say that fish consumption most likely is beneficial to the children™s health.Please see Pal Weihe™s entire letter below. For a copy on official Faroese Hospital
System/Department of Occupational and Public Health letterhead, please contact
Molly Heath 617-646-1046 or mheath@oneillandassoc.com.
09 February 2004
To whom it may concern:
Faroe Islands women do not eat mercury-tainted fish and fish consumption does not harm Faroese children.
In the Boston Herald, Friday, February 6, 2004, p.20 the following was stated about a mercury study in the Faroe Islands conducted in the cooperation with the Harvard University:
"A fish industry spokesman said that the Harvard study was flawed because Faroe Islands women typically eat far more mercury-tainted fish than do Americans" As the researcher in charge of the mercury studies on children in the Faroe Islands since 1985 I want to correct this statement. The Faroese children are not exposed to methylmercury by eating fish. They are exposed to mercury by the traditional consumption of pilot whale meat. Fish normally consumed in the Faroes, e.g. cod and haddock, are low in mercury and do not, to my opinion constitute any threat to the health of the Faroese children. In the contrary the fish consumption most likely is beneficial to their health.
Papa George Tuna is safe!!!!
Another media outlet,
The Oregonian, has sited the Oregon State University analysis of methyl mercury content in troll caught albacore, which explains that our tuna has little measurable mercury. For our customers who are worried about the recent plethora of dire warnings on the Early Show (Feb. 8th) and the LA Times (Feb 10th) to name a few, we now have more proof that
our tuna is safe!!
Low levels of Mercury in our troll-caught tuna
The scientists at Oregon State University's Seafood Lab have tested 91 albacore which were troll caught over the entire albacore season off of our Pacific West Coast. The
Times-Standard of Eureka/Arcata, CA., has covered it:
It is good to see one media source covering our American troll caught tuna as safe from high methyl mercury levels.
International & California Olive Oil Councils set standards of "extra virgin" status
Two standards are used to certify an olive oil's "extra virgin" status. One is a tasting or sensory analysis by a panel of trained testers, and the second is a chemical analysis for acidity. Once an olive oil is deemed "extra virgin", the
California Olive Oil Council issues a Certification Seal. This seal is an assurance to customers that the oil is truly extra virgin and that the oil has satisfied a standardized method of grading. Also this Cerification Seal is a way for olive oil producers to promote the excellence of their oils. The testing standards have been guidelines of the International Olive Oil Council, (IOOC).
Our
Albacore in Tuscan Olive Oil uses an extra virgin olive oil which is imported from Lucca, Italy and is a blend of four types of olives: 25% Frantoio, 50% Leccino, 10% Pendolino, and 15% Maurino. It is called DaVero Tuscan Estate Extra Virgin Olive Oil. The olives are grown at a small 350 year old farm east of Lucca owned by the Mansi Family. Some of the trees are hundreds of years old. The olives are crushed by a stone wheel ( pietra), and the oil is extracted by a Pieralisi press. To view this process, a California facility called
Frantoio has a good pictoral explanation. The
DaVero Dry Creek Estate olive oil is a California oil much like the DaVero Tuscan Estate oil. This American extra virgin olive oil has earned the 2004 Certification Seal of the COOC. Not only does this assure it of its extra virgin status, but it won a 2003 Gold Medal in the annual L.A. County Fair which hosts the largest olive oil competition in the world. The win was in the "Frantoio, Leccino, Pendolino Blend catagory. Previously, this olive oil had won a gold medal in the Olive Oil of the World Competition in 2002 & 2003.
The world is beginning to take notice that there is an olive oil renaissance in California. Steve and I are pleased that we are using one of the world's finest Italian olive oils in which to flavor and bathe our albacore. Someday I want to produce a truly all-American albacore in olive oil. We can do as well or better than the Europeans in our canned albacore quality.
