Feed additive harms sight says EC

BRUSSELS - A chemical fed to farmed salmon and chicken to colour flesh and egg yolks can harm human eyesight, the European Commission said yesterday, laying down big cuts in the maximum level permitted.

Canthaxanthin is given to commercially produced salmon to make its grey flesh look more like the pink of the wild variety. It is also used to colour egg yolks a brighter yellow.

But the European Commission said medical studies showed that too much canthaxanthin could affect eyesight in the long term and cut the maximum levels of the pigment in salmon and chicken feed.

"The use of this feed additive is purely cosmetic, to colour food, and reduced levels of the additive will not adversely affect the taste or quality of our food," said Consumer Affairs Commissioner David Byrne.

Under the new rule, the maximum levels of the pigment will be cut by at least two-thirds. However, the decision will not come into force in national law across the EU's 15 member states until December 1.

In the meantime, consumers will not be able to tell whether eggs they buy were laid by chickens fed with the additive.

Nor will fish be labelled, although shoppers have the option of choosing wild salmon.

- INDEPENDENT

Herald feature: Health