How healthy and climate friendly is Norwegian farmed salmon? (2021)

This is a report about farmed salmon in Norway based on research. Norwegian farmed salmon is very commonly sold in Sweden. It is also common to find it in UK supermarkets.

Some points from the article:

- Salmon feed has changed and has become much more plant-based, which has affected the nutritional content of farmed salmon.

- Levels of Omega-3 fatty acids, selenium and vitamin D have decreased in farmed salmon, but the overall levels of these important nutrients are still high.

- Farmed salmon beats animal meat when it comes to Omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin B12, vitamin D, iodine and selenium. Animal meat is higher in iron and zinc.

- Plant-based feed has led to lower dioxin levels in farmed salmon, but dioxins are still something to monitor.

- In wild-caught salmon from the Baltic Sea, dioxin levels are 10 to 20 times higher than farmed salmon from Norway. The claim was made on Swedish TV.

- Antibiotic levels are so low that they are undetectable in a farmed salmon fillet according to researchers

- Norwegian farmed salmon has a higher climate footprint than Swedish-produced chicken and pork, but have a significantly lower climate footprint than red meat

- Researchers did not investigate issues related to animal health, animal welfare, eutrophication or the effect of farmed salmon on wild salmon.