2023-10-02 23:59:21
The fitness lifestyle and healthy diets have gained a leading role in recent decades around the world. Some sectors of society, the most well-off, have migrated to healthier habits to ensure a better quality of life. While others, the less fortunate, seem condemned to diets and habits that are not kind to their health.
For some time now, green markets have become popular, strategies such as nutritional labeling have been implemented and the consumption of red meat has been reduced in some sectors. Alternatively, fish has become one of the essential products for households with the ability to purchase it.
Fish: a healthy alternative
The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Colombia reported that in 2021, per capita fish consumption in the country grew considerably, going from 8.80 kilograms in 2020 to 9.60 kg for that year.
The health benefits were one of the fundamental reasons for local consumers to increase their fish portions during that season, among which trout, mojarra and salmon stood out. A figure that was well received by entities such as the National Aquaculture and Fisheries Authority (Aunap).
Or not so much?
The renowned chef and businesswoman from Cartagena, Leonor Espinosa, awarded in 2022 as the Best Female Chef in the World by The World’s Best 50, questioned the health benefits of two species widely consumed in the country. Through her Twitter account, she explained the reasons why Chilean salmon and national tilapia are not necessarily “synonymous with a healthy diet.”
“Many believe that eating salmon is synonymous with a healthy diet; they cannot imagine the amount of antibiotics used by the Chilean salmon industry. The same thing happens with the tilapia that we produce, there are few that come from safe crops,” said the owner of what is considered one of the 50 best restaurants in the world.
“The national market is flooded with poor quality steaks”
Likewise, the renowned chef assured that the Colombian market is “flooded with poor quality fillets” which are imported from countries like China or Vietnam and come frozen.
This is confirmed by data from the Economic Complexity Observatory, created by the Media Lab of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
“The fastest growing import markets in Fish fillets for Colombia between 2020 and 2021 were Chile ($15.2M), China ($6.47M), and Vietnam ($5.35M),” the observatory reported in 2021.
What does the chef recommend?
Leonor Espinosa recommended that some Internet users consume products acquired through local responsible fishing, which would guarantee a better product and the sustainability of one of the most exploited sectors.
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