EFSA mercury seafood consumption survey reveals EU consumer risk awareness

A new survey by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) explores how frequently EU consumers eat seafood that may contain mercury and their awareness of national dietary advice. The European Commission requested the research to analyse consumption patterns before and after several countries updated guidance on eating species linked to mercury exposure.

The research focused on large predatory fish such as shark, swordfish and certain tuna species, which accumulate mercury over their lifespan by feeding on smaller fish. The Commission commissioned the work to inform discussions with Member States on regulatory limits for mercury in seafood and any future update of EFSA’s risk assessment of mercury in food.

EFSA conducted an initial EU-wide survey across all 27 Member States, plus Iceland and Norway, from April to May 2023. A second survey followed in 15 countries, including 10 that updated national advice and five that did not, allowing comparison of behaviour and awareness. The survey included a high proportion of pregnant and lactating women, reflecting the developing foetus’s vulnerability to mercury exposure and the nutritional importance of seafood.

Frequent consumption of high-mercury species

Sofia Ioannidou, food consumption expert at EFSA and coordinator of the research, said:

60 percent of respondents surveyed in the 29 countries said they eat fish and seafood. Around one-third of those consumers – 34 percent of adolescents and adults, and 33 percent of pregnant women – said they consume fish species with the highest Maximum Levels for mercury contamination three or more times per week.

While these findings are important, we explain in the report that they should be treated with caution due to uncertainties about the representativeness of the surveys.”

Across the EU, most national authorities recommend one to two portions per week of fish species with higher mercury limits (1.0 mg/kg of fish wet weight), or three to four portions of species with lower mercury levels (0.5 mg/kg or 0.3 mg/kg of fish). Pregnant women are often advised to replace large predatory fish with smaller species containing less mercury.

EFSA said its scientific advice underpins national dietary guidelines that balance the nutritional benefits of seafood, including infant cognitive and immune development and reduced cardiovascular risk, against the risks of methylmercury exposure, which can impair brain and neural development in the foetus and young children.

Awareness gap between benefits and risks

For the first time, EFSA applied social science methods to measure how well consumers understand dietary advice and its associated benefits and risks. Angela Bearth, social scientist and member of EFSA’s Scientific Committee, said:

While many consumers indicated in the survey that they had heard of the advice in their country and that they take it into account in their food choices, other factors such as taste, cost, and desire for a healthy diet drive changes in dietary habits more.

“This is a common phenomenon where survey respondents say one thing, but their behaviour indicates that other factors need taking into account.”

The survey assessed respondents’ knowledge of key health benefits and risks linked to fish and seafood consumption, measuring how well dietary advice is understood and retained.

Dr Bearth concluded:

Overall, more consumers (some 5 in 10) knew about health benefits than health risks (about 1 in 10), but mercury was the most widely recognised contaminant in these foods. The findings are consistent with past studies exploring this topic in European countries.”

The findings, together with strategies outlined in the report, may support national public health authorities in strengthening communication with consumers about seafood consumption and mercury exposure.