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American Morning

Consumer Group Warns About Seafood

Aired October 10, 2002 - 08:45   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: Health conscious Americans are eating a lot of fish these days, but a consumer safety group is warning that the inspection program to ensure that seafood is safe to eat is -- has many dangerous holes in it. Actually, we are supposed to say, "a net that has many dangerous holes in it."
Our medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta joins us now.

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: We are a fish eating nation.

ZAHN: How much do we eat a year?

GUPTA: About 15 pounds a year per person, which -- I did the math, that is about 4.5 billion pounds a year of fish.

ZAHN: Wow.

GUPTA: That is a lot of fish. Nowhere near as much red meat, though -- 64 pounds per person on average of red meat. But we are still eating a lot more fish, and that is because it's a health conscious food, and people are certainly concerned about their health, no question about that.

But with all of that fish that we are eating, people have certainly become concerned about the safety hazards. Paula, fish, seafood we are talking about here, are responsible for more food outbreaks -- food poisoning outbreaks than any other food group, 539 food outbreaks over the last 12 years from seafood alone, and that is more than any other group.

That is a lot. Typically, there is all sorts of different organisms that can cause these sorts of outbreaks. You have heard of some of them, Botulism, Ciguatera is another common organism, you can see the list there. That is my favorite organism, by the way, from medical school. I just like saying it.

ZAHN: Never heard of it before.

GUPTA: It was just fun to say, ciguatera.

ZAHN: Probably took you nine years to learn about that.

GUPTA: That is why medical school is so long.

ZAHN: Yes, exactly. GUPTA: But some of these organisms can be very dangerous, no question. We talk about shell fish, in particular, being dangerous. Shellfish, just from a pure anatomy standpoint, they actually pump water in and out of their body. That is important to know because they actually retain a lot of these potentially toxic organisms in their bodies, so when you eat shell fish, those are some of the most dangerous food. But actually, the most dangerous seafood of all is actually smoked fish, so if you are eating locks (ph) with your bagels...

ZAHN: Really?

GUPTA: That was the one that caused more food outbreaks than any other particular organism.

ZAHN: Why?

GUPTA: A lot of times it is because of the preparation and the handling of smoked fish. They don't actually keep it at the right temperature for long enough, smoked fish tends to sit out for a long period of time.

ZAHN: Yes, you see it on platters for nine hours.

GUPTA: Exactly. And that can be a problem. It can retain a lot of organisms, potentially toxic organisms. Food borne illness -- I will tell you from personal experience, I just had something like this Friday. It's no fun. Typically not fatal, I'm obviously still here, but it can be very, very uncomfortable. Nausea...

ZAHN: Uncomfortable? It's awful!

GUPTA: It is terrible. Nausea, vomiting...

ZAHN: It is one of the worst, most violent sicknesses...

GUPTA: It just completely wipes you out. You know it if you have it, and hopefully you won't get it. But these fish foods can typically -- are a more likely culprit.

ZAHN: So what is this group, CSPI, asking the government to do?

GUPTA: The Center for Science and Public Interest, and they have been on the government for a while about seafoods. In fact, five years ago, they had new regulations passed. You can see what they're asking for specifically here. Some of these names may not mean as much to you, but there are some organisms that are big culprits -- particular culprits with food.

Listeria in ready to eat fish, fish that you can just buy off the store and eat it right away. Ciguatera, again, in reef fish. Methylmercury -- you know, we've talked about this, Paula. Pregnant women and young children in particular, high levels of mercury can be a real problem. Why? Because it will actually possibly cause defects in the way the bones are formed, the way the body develops. Mercury is potentially a real problem. If you're a pregnant woman, you probably want to stay away from all of the predatory fish, that is sharks, sword fish, fish like that -- mackerel, stay away from those because the mercury can be a real problem.

But this is just an idea of some of the things that CSPI sort of wants the government to really hone in on.

ZAHN: OK. Having the government do that is one thing, what is it that we are supposed to do at home?

GUPTA: Well, there is a lot of things that you sort of keep in mind, especially with regards to the preparation of fish. First of all, there are some fish that are worse than others, that are more dangerous than others. Let's just take a look at the list of some of those fish. You can see the high risk fish barracuda...

ZAHN: Oh, one of my favorites there. Yes, oh yes.

GUPTA: Yes, as I say, they are dangerous to eat and just dangerous, I think, period.

ZAHN: Look at one of them.

GUPTA: But there are some fish on there that you probably have eaten, Mahi mahi -- I was surprised, that is one of my favorites, actually. I eat that...

ZAHN: Tuna and swordfish?

GUPTA: Tuna and swordfish. Again, those predatory fish, the sword fish, are a real problem.

There are safe fish as well, we should look at that list of safe fish, fish that are more likely not to give you a problem.

ZAHN: Yes, canned tuna can sit there for many, many years.

ZAHN: Right. They also have salmon -- not the smoked salmon, you will see there, just the regular salmon is OK.

Scallops as well. Those are all much safer fish to eat. But from a standpoint of just yourself, if you're cooking the fish, there are certain things to sort of keep in mind in how you prepare the fish. Certainly, you have got to keep the fish at the right temperature.

There is a little list there. Cook, separate, chill, clean and report. Cook it properly. Separate foods -- fish is not a good food to cross-contaminate. Don't put this in the Tupperware with other sorts of foods. Make sure you chill it properly and report -- if there is a problem, if you get sick from eating sushi, which I know you like too, by the way, I love sushi.

ZAHN: Yes, that is how I got sick.

GUPTA: So you don't love it as much as you used to. But if it does happen, it's important to report that so other people don't get sick as well. Call the restaurant, call somebody to let them know that you possibly did get sick from their food.

ZAHN: I'm still shocked to see smoked salmon on there.

GUPTA: I know.

ZAHN: That is the last thing I would have...

GUPTA: I am not trying to disappoint people here, but you know, it is just something to keep in mind.

ZAHN: You know the 15 pounds a year you said we are going to eat? Based on that report, you are going to have us down to about two pounds this time next year.

GUPTA: I know, and you probably eat more than that.

ZAHN: I eat a lot of fish, and like it very much. I learned something today.

GUPTA: Still a health-conscious food.

ZAHN: Well, the idea of separating it, and we all know about the chilling thing, the cleaning and separating, obviously, is critical.

GUPTA: Exactly.

ZAHN: Thanks, doctor.

GUPTA: Yes, it was good being here for my four minutes today.

ZAHN: Yes, did you enjoy every single second of it?

GUPTA: I did.

ZAHN: Well, look, sometimes a neurologist gets more than that. He is. The guy went to medical school most of his adult life here.

GUPTA: Exactly.

ZAHN: See you later.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com






Aired October 10, 2002 - 08:45   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: Health conscious Americans are eating a lot of fish these days, but a consumer safety group is warning that the inspection program to ensure that seafood is safe to eat is -- has many dangerous holes in it. Actually, we are supposed to say, "a net that has many dangerous holes in it."
Our medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta joins us now.

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: We are a fish eating nation.

ZAHN: How much do we eat a year?

GUPTA: About 15 pounds a year per person, which -- I did the math, that is about 4.5 billion pounds a year of fish.

ZAHN: Wow.

GUPTA: That is a lot of fish. Nowhere near as much red meat, though -- 64 pounds per person on average of red meat. But we are still eating a lot more fish, and that is because it's a health conscious food, and people are certainly concerned about their health, no question about that.

But with all of that fish that we are eating, people have certainly become concerned about the safety hazards. Paula, fish, seafood we are talking about here, are responsible for more food outbreaks -- food poisoning outbreaks than any other food group, 539 food outbreaks over the last 12 years from seafood alone, and that is more than any other group.

That is a lot. Typically, there is all sorts of different organisms that can cause these sorts of outbreaks. You have heard of some of them, Botulism, Ciguatera is another common organism, you can see the list there. That is my favorite organism, by the way, from medical school. I just like saying it.

ZAHN: Never heard of it before.

GUPTA: It was just fun to say, ciguatera.

ZAHN: Probably took you nine years to learn about that.

GUPTA: That is why medical school is so long.

ZAHN: Yes, exactly. GUPTA: But some of these organisms can be very dangerous, no question. We talk about shell fish, in particular, being dangerous. Shellfish, just from a pure anatomy standpoint, they actually pump water in and out of their body. That is important to know because they actually retain a lot of these potentially toxic organisms in their bodies, so when you eat shell fish, those are some of the most dangerous food. But actually, the most dangerous seafood of all is actually smoked fish, so if you are eating locks (ph) with your bagels...

ZAHN: Really?

GUPTA: That was the one that caused more food outbreaks than any other particular organism.

ZAHN: Why?

GUPTA: A lot of times it is because of the preparation and the handling of smoked fish. They don't actually keep it at the right temperature for long enough, smoked fish tends to sit out for a long period of time.

ZAHN: Yes, you see it on platters for nine hours.

GUPTA: Exactly. And that can be a problem. It can retain a lot of organisms, potentially toxic organisms. Food borne illness -- I will tell you from personal experience, I just had something like this Friday. It's no fun. Typically not fatal, I'm obviously still here, but it can be very, very uncomfortable. Nausea...

ZAHN: Uncomfortable? It's awful!

GUPTA: It is terrible. Nausea, vomiting...

ZAHN: It is one of the worst, most violent sicknesses...

GUPTA: It just completely wipes you out. You know it if you have it, and hopefully you won't get it. But these fish foods can typically -- are a more likely culprit.

ZAHN: So what is this group, CSPI, asking the government to do?

GUPTA: The Center for Science and Public Interest, and they have been on the government for a while about seafoods. In fact, five years ago, they had new regulations passed. You can see what they're asking for specifically here. Some of these names may not mean as much to you, but there are some organisms that are big culprits -- particular culprits with food.

Listeria in ready to eat fish, fish that you can just buy off the store and eat it right away. Ciguatera, again, in reef fish. Methylmercury -- you know, we've talked about this, Paula. Pregnant women and young children in particular, high levels of mercury can be a real problem. Why? Because it will actually possibly cause defects in the way the bones are formed, the way the body develops. Mercury is potentially a real problem. If you're a pregnant woman, you probably want to stay away from all of the predatory fish, that is sharks, sword fish, fish like that -- mackerel, stay away from those because the mercury can be a real problem.

But this is just an idea of some of the things that CSPI sort of wants the government to really hone in on.

ZAHN: OK. Having the government do that is one thing, what is it that we are supposed to do at home?

GUPTA: Well, there is a lot of things that you sort of keep in mind, especially with regards to the preparation of fish. First of all, there are some fish that are worse than others, that are more dangerous than others. Let's just take a look at the list of some of those fish. You can see the high risk fish barracuda...

ZAHN: Oh, one of my favorites there. Yes, oh yes.

GUPTA: Yes, as I say, they are dangerous to eat and just dangerous, I think, period.

ZAHN: Look at one of them.

GUPTA: But there are some fish on there that you probably have eaten, Mahi mahi -- I was surprised, that is one of my favorites, actually. I eat that...

ZAHN: Tuna and swordfish?

GUPTA: Tuna and swordfish. Again, those predatory fish, the sword fish, are a real problem.

There are safe fish as well, we should look at that list of safe fish, fish that are more likely not to give you a problem.

ZAHN: Yes, canned tuna can sit there for many, many years.

ZAHN: Right. They also have salmon -- not the smoked salmon, you will see there, just the regular salmon is OK.

Scallops as well. Those are all much safer fish to eat. But from a standpoint of just yourself, if you're cooking the fish, there are certain things to sort of keep in mind in how you prepare the fish. Certainly, you have got to keep the fish at the right temperature.

There is a little list there. Cook, separate, chill, clean and report. Cook it properly. Separate foods -- fish is not a good food to cross-contaminate. Don't put this in the Tupperware with other sorts of foods. Make sure you chill it properly and report -- if there is a problem, if you get sick from eating sushi, which I know you like too, by the way, I love sushi.

ZAHN: Yes, that is how I got sick.

GUPTA: So you don't love it as much as you used to. But if it does happen, it's important to report that so other people don't get sick as well. Call the restaurant, call somebody to let them know that you possibly did get sick from their food.

ZAHN: I'm still shocked to see smoked salmon on there.

GUPTA: I know.

ZAHN: That is the last thing I would have...

GUPTA: I am not trying to disappoint people here, but you know, it is just something to keep in mind.

ZAHN: You know the 15 pounds a year you said we are going to eat? Based on that report, you are going to have us down to about two pounds this time next year.

GUPTA: I know, and you probably eat more than that.

ZAHN: I eat a lot of fish, and like it very much. I learned something today.

GUPTA: Still a health-conscious food.

ZAHN: Well, the idea of separating it, and we all know about the chilling thing, the cleaning and separating, obviously, is critical.

GUPTA: Exactly.

ZAHN: Thanks, doctor.

GUPTA: Yes, it was good being here for my four minutes today.

ZAHN: Yes, did you enjoy every single second of it?

GUPTA: I did.

ZAHN: Well, look, sometimes a neurologist gets more than that. He is. The guy went to medical school most of his adult life here.

GUPTA: Exactly.

ZAHN: See you later.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com