Should the labeling and marketing claims about your smoked Atlantic salmon product match up with your reasonable expectations for what those claims mean?

We think so. 

That’s why we’ve sued Mowi, the world’s largest producer of Atlantic salmon products, for making misleading labeling and marketing claims about some of the company’s smoked Atlantic salmon products, sold under Ducktrap River of Maine brand name.

TAKE ACTION: Tell Ducktrap: Stop Falsely Claiming Your Smoked Atlantic Salmon Is ‘All Natural’

With so many products and brands to choose from, many consumers rely on product labels, company and brand websites and social media pages for reliable information about ingredients and production and sourcing practices.

Our “Myth of Natural” campaign strives to hold companies and brands accountable for the claims they make about their products.

When it comes to fish, consumers have ranked the “minimal use of hormones and drugs,” “no pollution to the environment,” and “respect of fish welfare” as three of the four most important elements of sustainable aquaculture.

By those standards, consumers would be unlikely to give Mowi or Ducktrap a high ranking.

Let’s look at some of Mowi and Ducktrap’s claims, and why we believe they’re misleading to consumers.

1. Mowi claims that some of its Ducktrap smoked Atlantic salmon products, sourced from industrial fish farms, are “All Natural” or “100% Natural.” 

But according to Mowi’s own audit documents, some of the fish farms that supply Mowi and Ducktrap treat the salmon with artificial chemicals, including pesticides and antibiotics.

Mowi also uses chemical disinfectants, including formaldehyde-based formalin (a known carcinogen) and bleach.

2. Mowi makes sustainability claims about Ducktrap smoked Atlantic salmon, using words like “sustainably sourced” and “eco-friendly.”

Yet Mowi sources salmon from farms that use open-net pens, which are banned in numerous jurisdictions due to concerns over environmental risks.

3. Mowi claims that its Ducktrap River of Maine Atlantic smoked salmon is “The finest naturally smoked seafood from the coast of Maine.”

Yet Mowi sources all of its farmed salmon from industrial salmon farms outside the U.S., including in Chile, Norway, Scotland and Iceland.

4. Mowi claims that the company’s approach to fish health and welfare is “second to none.” 

Yet when it comes to animal welfare, Mowi gets low marks. As we allege in our lawsuit, conditions at Mowi facilities in Scotland have been rated by animal charity OneKind as some of the industry’s worst due to mortality rates, parasite infestations, stress levels, overstocking, genetic deformities and escapes, among other factors.

It’s time for Mowi and Ducktrap to stop misleading consumers.

TAKE ACTION: Tell Ducktrap: Stop Falsely Claiming Your Smoked Atlantic Salmon Is ‘All Natural’