The Finnish Food Authority has revised the recommendation for the safe use of fish based on the results of the EU-Fish IV research project. The revised recommendation includes more fish species-specific exceptions for children under school age and women who are at their peak reproductive age, pregnant or breastfeeding. In contrast, no specific exceptions to the recommendation are required for school-age children or young people.
According to the National Nutrition Council’s recommendations,
- fish should be eaten at least twice a week; and
- different fish species should be used in turns.
The Finnish Food Authority has issued the following exceptions to the general fish recommendation above based on concentrations of food contaminants in fish:
Entire population
- Everyone who eats fish caught from inland waters on a daily basis should prefer species other than pike, large perch, pikeperch and burbot that are predatory fish with high concentrations of mercury.
- Regionally, it may be necessary to avoid the extensive use of predatory fish due to higher-than-normal mercury concentrations.
Under school-age children
- Wild salmon, river lamprey and large Baltic herring of more than 19 cm when ungutted caught from the Baltic Sea can be eaten once every two months.
- Smelt can be eaten a couple of times a year.
- Trout, pikeperch, bream, European whitefish, perch, pike and vendace can be eaten once or twice a month in turns.
- Pikeperch, bream, European whitefish, perch and pike caught from inland waters can be eaten once a week in turns, and vendace caught from inland waters can be eaten twice a month. Exceptions include waterbodies in which higher-than-normal concentrations of mercury, PFAS or other contaminants have been measured.
Women who are at their peak reproductive age, pregnant or breastfeeding
- Wild salmon, trout, river lamprey and large Baltic herring of more than 19 cm when ungutted caught from the Baltic Sea can be eaten once every two months.
- Smelt can be eaten a couple of times a year.
- Pikeperch, bream, European whitefish, perch, pike and vendace can be eaten three or four times a month in turns.
- Pikeperch, bream, European whitefish, perch, pike and vendace caught from inland waters can be eaten at most 200 g (two portions) a week in turns. Exceptions include waterbodies in which higher-than-normal concentrations of mercury, PFAS or other contaminants have been measured.
Nearly unlimited amounts of roach caught from inland waters and farmed fish can also be added to the diet of under school-age children and women who are pregnant or breastfeeding without increasing the health risk.
The use of fish is recommended and should be increased. Fish contains healthy fatty acids, various vitamins and minerals, as well as significant amounts of proteins. Fish is a particularly good source of omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin D. The useful fatty acids of fish have been studied to reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases.
Additional information:
Kaisa Kukkonen, Senior Officer, tel. 050 329 3840, firstnam.lastname@ruokavirasto.fi (call requests)