Thank you for your attention to this matter. Instead, the public, especially women and children, should be properly warned about the dangers of consuming shark – consistent with the recommendations of the EPA and the FDA. Finally, the recommendation should be withdrawn from the literature at the Taste of Chicago booth. We further request that Humana issue a retracting statement to all media outlets to which these recommendations were promoted. We respectfully request that Humana take a stand and immediately rescind its recommendation of shark as a healthy choice option. Now that Humana is aware of the situation, we cannot imagine you will stand behind these flawed recommendations. By recommending safe and sustainable seafood choices, Humana can only stand to gain by leading the industry in environmental responsibility as well. Humana has been a leader in quality healthcare and health choices. There are many healthy and responsible seafood choices available that provide high quality lean protein and healthy omega-3 fatty acids without unnecessarily exposing consumers to mercury and other dangerous toxins and without damaging the environment ((please see attached Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Guide ( ) and Shark Fact Sheet ( ). A number of studies are already indicating that regional elimination of sharks can cause disastrous effects including the collapse of fisheries and the death of coral reefs. Removing sharks seriously upsets this delicate balance. As the apex predators of the oceans, the role of sharks is to keep other marine life in healthy balance and to regulate the world’s largest and most important ecosystem.
Populations of many shark species have decreased by as much as 90% just in the past thirty years. Sharks around the world are threatened with extinction due to overfishing. In addition to the risks posed to people by consuming shark meat, there are significant health risks for our planet. of Health goes further to warn that EVERYONE should avoid eating meat from any sharks over 43 inches. Because of these health risks, most health organizations advise that women of child-bearing age and children should not consume any shark meat at all, and everyone else should limit consumption to no more than one serving per month. Indeed, there is much research and publicly available data regarding the serious health issues associated with consumption of shark meat due to the high levels of mercury and other contaminants in the shark’s flesh.
With all of these highly respected entities publicly disagreeing with Humana’s recommendations, one might wonder how responsible and informed Humana’s recommendations truly are. Food and Drug Administration, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Environmental Defense Fund, Seafood Watch, the New York Department of Health, to name but a few organizations. Humana has effectively provided a seal of approval for a product that carries warnings from the U.S.
Which is why we are shocked at Humana’s decision to promote shark meat as one of the “healthier choice” entrees featured at the Taste of Chicago festival. Humana is highly regarded as a leader in health care and known for enabling people to make well-informed decisions regarding their health care and healthy lifestyles. E-mail letter to the editor: is the letter we emailed to Humana:
0 kommentar(er)
