Compare fresh & frozen seafood

Research · Fresh & frozen seafood

What our research found about fresh & frozen seafood

For fresh and frozen fish and shrimp, species, origin and catch or farming method drive the choice. The FDA’s advice about eating fish ranks fish by mercury level and suggests how many servings a week are appropriate, with special guidance for children and people who are pregnant. Frozen seafood is often frozen at sea, which keeps it fresh and lets you buy it year-round.

The Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch and the Marine Stewardship Council evaluate fisheries and farms, and wild versus farmed labels do not by themselves tell you which is better. Packaged seafood can include added salt, phosphates or glazes, so read the ingredient list and compare price per pound after glaze.

Products

154 brands

Full labels recorded

213% of the shelf

Maker says organic

0maker’s claim

List an added sweetener

1of 2 labels

List a seed oil

0of 2 labels

Typical label length

9ingredients (median)

Counts use complete, current ingredient labels only. Records without a published label stay unknown and are never counted as clean.

What to compare

• Species and mercury. Use the FDA’s best-choice and good-choice lists for serving frequency.
• Wild or farmed. Look at the specific fishery or farm rating.
• Additives. Check for added phosphates, salt or glazes in frozen fish.
• Certification. MSC and similar programs publish their standards.

References

1. Advice about eating fish U.S. Food and Drug Administration
2. Seafood Watch recommendations Monterey Bay Aquarium
3. MSC certified sustainable seafood Marine Stewardship Council
4. Fish Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
5. Omega-3 fatty acids fact sheet for consumers NIH Office of Dietary Supplements