The Hellenic Food Authority (EFET) issued an emergency announcement to address public concern about mercury levels in canned tuna, reassuring consumers about the product’s safety.

EFET also reported that samples collected in its 2024 official annual food inspection were fully compliant. Results from the past five years regarding heavy metal detection in seafood are presented below.

NGOs Sound the Alarm on Canned Tuna

Earlier, the NGOs Bloom and Foodwatch raised alarms, stating that canned tuna is heavily contaminated with mercury, a substance harmful to health, and urged major supermarkets and public authorities to take urgent measures, including lowering permitted limits.

According to Bloom, 148 randomly selected cans from five European countries (France, Germany, England, Spain, and Italy) were tested by an independent lab, which found mercury contamination in all of them. In more than half, mercury levels exceeded the maximum limit set for other fish species, or 0.3 mg/kg. Bloom pointed out that the maximum mercury content allowed in tuna (currently 1 mg/kg) is based on contamination rates rather than on health risk considerations, allowing 95% of tuna products to be sold.

Bloom and Foodwatch argue that there is no health-based justification for this discrepancy since mercury is equally toxic regardless of the source.

Mercury, primarily released into the atmosphere by coal-fired power plants, is classified by the World Health Organization as one of the top ten public health threats. In the ocean, it mixes with bacteria to form methylmercury, an even more toxic compound. Both elemental mercury and methylmercury are neurotoxic, potentially causing neurological and behavioral disorders.

The NGOs have labeled the situation a “public health scandal” and are calling for urgent action, urging the European Commission to set the maximum permissible mercury level in tuna at 0.3 mg/kg to match that of other species.