Costco to warn customers of seafood hazard

[Guest guest]

Good news, but they'll need to move onto the next step. Let's

pressure them (and Walmart) to notify pregnant women and children re:

mercury in flu shots and ask them to purchase and carry only mercury-

free. Perhaps the reporter can be of help? Anyone know her?

Jackie

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Costco to warn customers of seafood hazard

Decision is meant to help educate customers

By ANDREA JAMES

P-I REPORTER

Costco Wholesale Corp. has agreed to post signs at its seafood

counters that warn shoppers about the hazards of eating fish tainted

with mercury.In the debate over whether to risk scaring customers

away from fish, which is a healthy food, or sharing government advice

with consumers, Costco has landed on the side of providing more

information. The signs warn children and potential mothers to avoid

swordfish, shark, king mackerel and tilefish. They also advise

limiting tuna consumption and warn of the risks of eating raw

oysters, clams and mussels. But the signs also say that fish and

shellfish are part of a healthy diet.In posting such a warning, the

Issaquah-based wholesale club chain joins grocers including Safeway,

Trader Joe's, Albertsons, Whole Foods and Kroger, which owns QFC.

Chains including Wal-Mart, Publix, ShopRite and Winn-Dixie do not

post signs, according to Oceana, a Washington, D.C.-based

conservation group that is pushing grocery chains to warn shoppers

about mercury.About 36 percent of major U.S. grocery store chains

carry signs to warn consumers about mercury levels in fish. In

Washington, 95 percent of the stores post signs – the highest

percentage in the nation. Meanwhile, in other states fewer than 2

percent of stores have warning signs posted, according to an Oceana

report released Thursday.Proponents of the signs say that they help

consumers make healthy decisions. " I would be surprised if the average

shopper in Seattle knew which fish to avoid. It's hard to keep them

straight, " said Jackie Savitz, senior campaign director for Oceana's

pollution programs. " That, importantly, does not mean you can't eat

fish. We think fish is an important part of the diet, and you can

actually get the benefits of fish without the risk by choosing low-

mercury fish. " A scan of the literature reveals that expert advice

regarding seafood generally boils down to: " You must eat fish to be

healthy! But not too much, or you will harm your children! " The Food

and Drug Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency

advise women who are pregnant or nursing to avoid high-mercury fish.

The warning extends t o all women who are able to bear children, to

protect fetuses in a potential pregnancy.However, fish and shellfish

are good for the heart – high in protein and omega-3 fatty acids and

low in saturated fat. Nearly all varieties have some mercury, and

some species have higher mercury levels than others, according to the

FDA. Mercury accumulates in the body and in large quantities can harm

a child's nervous system.Costco operates nearly 400 warehouses in the

United States, and its hottest seafood sellers are salmon and shrimp.

Costco sells few species that are known to have higher mercury

concentrations than other species. It sells tuna and frozen swordfish

in limited locations.The company already had mercury warning signs

posted in California because a law there requires it. In Florida,

Costco posted a shellfish warning that has been incorporated into the

nationwide signs.Costco leaders were attending a leadership

conference Thursday and were unavailable for comment. " Companies have

not been totally jumping up and down saying, 'Yes, yes, we'll do

it,' " Savitz said. " It took two years to get them (Costc o) to agree

to do it. What we're seeing is an increasing trend. It's becoming an

industry standard. " Though mercury warning signs in grocery stores

help consumers to protect themselves, they don't really solve the

overall problem, said O'Neill, environmental law and policy

expert at Seattle University School of Law " We spend a lot of time on

risk avoidance, to stop people from eating fish, " she said. " We

really need to be preventing mercury contamination in the first place

and cleaning it up. "

GOVERNMENT SEAFOOD ADVISORY

Fish and shellfish can be an important part of a healthy diet. Nearly

all fish and shellfish, however, contain some amount of mercury and

related compounds.Thus the Food and Drug Administration and the

Environmental Protection Agency advise pregnant and nursing women,

women who may become pregnant and children to limit their weekly

consumption of fish and to avoid swordfish, shark, king mackerel and

tilefish.Eat up to 12 ounces weekly of fish that are lower in

mercury, such as sal mon, pollock, shrimp and scallops. The FDA also

advises that women of childbearing age and children limit consumption

of albacore tuna and tuna steaks to 6 ounces or less a week.Serve

young children smaller portions of fish and shellfish.For more

information about mercury and other risks concerning seafood consult

your doctor or the following sites: epa.gov/waterscienc e/fish and

www.cfsan.fda.gov. Or call the FDA toll free at 888-723-3366.There is

also a risk associated with eating raw oysters, clams and mussels.If

you suffer from chronic illness of the liver, stomach or blood, or

have immune disorders, do not eat these products raw.

P-I reporter can be reached at 206-448-8124 or

andreajames@....

(http://seattlepi. nwsource. com/business/ 374068_costcosig ns08.html)