USDA: Pregnant Women Should Limit Fish Intake

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency have warned pregnant and breastfeeding women, those who might become pregnant and young children to avoid fish that is high in mercury.

Kosher fish that are high in mercury include fresh Tuna, orange roughy, grouper and mackerel. Low mercury species include snapper, carp, canned tuna, trout, flounder and salmon.

Previously, the FDA and the EPA recommended maximum amounts of fish that these population groups should consume, but did not promote a minimum amount. Over the past decade, the regulatory agencies said emerging science has underscored the importance of appropriate amounts of fish in the diets of pregnant and breastfeeding women, and young children.

“For years many women have limited or avoided eating fish during pregnancy or feeding fish to their young children,” said Stephen Ostroff, M.D., the FDA’s acting chief scientist. “But emerging science now tells us that limiting or avoiding fish during pregnancy and early childhood can mean missing out on important nutrients that can have a positive impact on growth and development as well as on general health.”