Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Dr. Margaret Hamburg answers questions during a newsmaker interview at The Associated Press in Washington on Friday. Hamburg said the agency will soon advise consumers on the appropriate levels of mercury in seafood. In a wide-ranging interview, Hamburg said the agency does not plan to require labels, as requested by consumer groups, but will issue guidance on how much mercury can be present in different kinds of products.WASHINGTON – The Food and Drug Administration is updating its advice for pregnant women on the appropriate levels of mercury in seafood but Commissioner Margaret Hamburg said Friday that it won’t require mercury labels on seafood packages.
In a wide-ranging interview Friday with The Associated Press, Hamburg said the agency will update guidance on mercury in different varieties of seafood and what that means, a long-awaited move aimed at helping women better understand what to eat when they’re pregnant.
“It’s an advisory, not an effort to mandate labeling,” Hamburg said. “Different seafood products do contain different levels of mercury, and so different seafood products can be rated in terms of levels of mercury.”
Eating fish is part of a heart-healthy diet, and many types are good sources of omega-3 fatty acids that are important for brain development.
But fish also can absorb small amounts of mercury, a neurotoxin, from streams and oceans — and a small number of varieties harbor higher levels.