Farmed Salmon and Color Additives

Home , Salmon (color)

1600 South Jackson Street Seattle, Washington 98144 Phone 206‐323‐3540 Fax 206‐323‐3543 SETTING THE STANDARD IN SEAFOOD SAFETY

FARMED SALMON AND COLOR ADDITIVES

Technical Bulletin L-08

Almost all farmed salmon are fed feed that contains artificial color additives. FDA has approved the use of several color additives for coloring the feed of salmonid fish: astaxanthin, canthaxanthin, Haematococcus algae meal and Phaffia yeast. All of these color additives are used to enhance the pink to orange-red color of the flesh of the fish.

Farmed fish products must bear labeling that color is added. This is specified in the color additives rules (21 CFR, Part 73). These labeling requirements have been in place since the time that each of the color additives was approved for use in the feed of farmed fish.

The color additives must be declared on the product label, and may be declared as “Artificial Color,” “Artificial Color Added” or “Color Added” (or by an equally informative term that makes clear that a color additive has been used in the food). Alternatively, such color additives may be declared as “Colored with ___” or “___ color”, the blank to be filled with the name of the color additive listed in the applicable regulation in 21 CFR Part 73. [Refer to 21 CFR Part 101.22(b), (c) and (k)(2); and 101.100(a)(2) for detailed explanation of labeling requirements.]

It is important to note that the standard of identity for canned Pacific salmon does not include a provision for added color. The color additive rule for canthaxanthin explicitly notes that it may not be used to color foods for which standards of identity have been promulgated, unless the use of added color is authorized by such standards. It is thus unlikely that farmed salmon fed feed with added color could be used for canned Pacific salmon, and it would certainly be the case that canthaxanthin in such feed would prohibit the fish from being used for canned Pacific salmon.

Revision Date: 6-10-08 Supersedes: Technical Bulletin L-08, 3-21-08