SEAFOODNEWS.COM by John Sackton November 5, 2014 — The FDA held a public risk communication meeting November 3rd, and 4th to discuss its draft advice for pregnant women to eat more seafood.
The new advice says women should "eat 8 to 12 ounces of a variety of fish each week from choices that are lower in mercury. The nutritional value of fish is important during growth and development before birth, in early infancy for breastfed infants, and in childhood."
At the meeting, Rima Kleiner, a dietitian and consultant to NFI, said “‘Decades of misinformation perpetuated by media and unknowingly wrong healthcare professionals have created a generation of low seafood eaters."
She urged the FDA to strengthen its advice, sayintg "“‘The real risk of seafood during pregnancy is not eating enough," and suggested that the higher amount be descirbed as a 'goal.'
FDA and EPA in June released a draft guidance calling for women who are pregnant or who may become pregnant, those breast feeding, and young children to eat considerably more fish than they are currently after finding benefits to unborn children. The guidance is based on newer science that finds developmental and brain benefits of increased fish consumption up to a point outweigh the risks of methylmercury exposure. The guidance encourages consumers to ‘eat 8 to 12 ounces of a variety of fish each week’ that are low in methylmercury.”
This story originally appeared on Seafood.com, a subscription site. It is reprinted with permission.