What are the mercury levels in Gold Seal canned salmon and tuna?
Wild Pacific salmon have very low levels of heavy metals, including mercury. This is due to the short life cycle of salmon (2-4 years), which is insufficient to bio-accumulate these substances, and the fact that wild salmon spend the majority of their lives in the open mid-Pacific Ocean, far from potential coastal pollution. Mercury levels in wild Pacific salmon are typically less than 0.05 ppm, which is ten times lower than the 0.50 ppm (parts per million) Canadian limit for mercury. Most of the canned tuna products sold in Canada are “light meat” tunas, such as skipjack and yellowfin, that have much lower mercury levels, typically in the 0.20 to 0.30 ppm range. Gold Seal canned tuna products fall into this category and are monitored on a spot-check basis to ensure compliance with the 0.50 ppm Canadian limit for mercury.
