The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)-led study, recently published in the journal Frontiers in Nutrition, found that farmed Atlantic salmon contained 63.8% less eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and 47.5% less docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) \u2014 two important omega-3 fatty acids \u2014 compared with older federal nutritional data.<\/p>\n
Researchers suggested the differences could be linked to changes in fish feed, as salmon farms increasingly substitute plant-based oils for marine fish oils.<\/p>\n
COMMON GRILLING MISTAKE COULD STRIP FISH OF KEY NUTRIENTS AND RUIN YOUR MEAL, EXPERTS WARN<\/a><\/p>\n But Zimmern, a James Beard Award-winning chef and co-author of “The Blue Food Cookbook,”<\/a> cautioned against drawing sweeping conclusions about farmed seafood from the findings.<\/p>\n “What we should be calling for is not to eliminate farmed seafood<\/a>. How do we make it better?” Zimmern told Fox News Digital.<\/p>\n A USDA-led study found that farmed Atlantic salmon contained fewer important omega-3 fatty acids compared with older federal nutritional data. (iStock)<\/p>\n The research examined eight farmed Atlantic salmon fillets purchased from retailers in the mid-Atlantic region, raising questions about how representative the findings are of the broader industry.<\/p>\n Zimmern questioned whether the results adequately reflected differences among salmon producers worldwide.<\/p>\n TENNIS GREAT RAPHAEL NADAL SWEARS BY BREAKFAST WITH NUTRIENT-PACKED TINY FISH<\/a><\/p>\n The celebrity chef, who said he has personally visited salmon farms in Chile, said farming practices can vary considerably.<\/p>\n A celebrity chef questioned whether the results adequately reflected differences among salmon producers worldwide. (iStock)<\/p>\n “There are some really good ones and [there are some] that are not so good,” he said.<\/p>\n AMERICANS STILL CRAVE PROTEIN DESPITE RECORD BEEF PRICES AS EXPERT REVEALS THE ‘HEALTHIEST BURGER’<\/a><\/p>\n Zimmern, who has long advocated for Americans to eat more responsibly sourced seafood<\/a>, argued that improving aquaculture is preferable to discouraging consumers from eating farmed fish altogether.<\/p>\n “Seafood has to prove itself innocent all the time, because everybody assumes it’s just guilty, guilty, guilty.”<\/p>\n “The question is what’s going to replace it? We have a very reactionary society. Right? You can’t take away millions, tens of millions, hundreds of millions, pounds of food<\/a> globally and not replace it with something else,” he said.<\/p>\n CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR LIFESTYLE NEWSLETTER<\/a><\/p>\n Asked about the limited sample size, a USDA spokesperson told Fox News Digital that the salmon was selected to update existing nutritional information<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u00a0Andrew Zimmern said he would rather focus on improving where America sources its seafood. (iStock)<\/p>\n “The number of samples was based on standard methods used to evaluate whether nutrient levels have changed meaningfully since earlier analyses,” the spokesperson said.<\/p>\n The USDA also emphasized that the findings should not discourage consumers from eating farmed salmon<\/a>.<\/p>\n CLICK HERE FOR MORE LIFESTYLE NEWS<\/a><\/p>\n “The study found that farmed Atlantic salmon remains a nutritious source of omega-3 fatty acids and other key nutrients,” the spokesperson said.<\/p>\n The USDA said the findings should not discourage consumers from eating farmed salmon. (iStock)<\/p>\n Zimmern previously told Fox News Digital that Americans should pay closer attention to where their seafood comes from and how it is produced, rather than simply choosing between wild-caught and farm-raised varieties.<\/p>\n![\"Older](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/cutting-uncooked-salmon-fillet.jpg\")
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