Salmon of a different color. (Updates).

While environmentalists have long bemoaned the ecological impacts of salmon farming (see "Our Living Oceans," cover story, July/August 2001), a recent lawsuit suggests there may be dangers to consumers as well. In April, class-action lawsuits were filed against Safeway, Albertsons and Kroger, claiming the groceries illegally concealed the fact that artificial coloring is used in farm-raised salmon. Within a week of the filing, Kroger announced it would add the words "color added" to fish labels. Plaintiff attorney Paul Kampmeir called this a "great victory."

According to the plaintiffs, lack of labeling misleads the public into thinking they're purchasing wild salmon. Farmed salmon lack the healthy pink color because they didn't receive the same nutrients as wild fish. A report filed by Michael Easton, a prominent Canadian geneticist and toxicologist, concludes, "Farmed fish and the feed they're given appear to have a much higher level of contamination of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), organochlorine pesticides and polybrominated diphenyls."

With annual revenues of approximately $50 billion, farmed salmon comprises 50 to 60 percent of the world's salmon market. Jennifer Lash of the Coastal Alliance for Aquaculture Reform (CAAR) says, "Consumers are not getting the full story when it comes to how farmed salmon is raised and produced. This suit is an important step in consumer health protection as well as a wake-up call to industry." CONTACT: CAAR, [phone], www.farmedanddangerous.org.