# I learned that salmon is dyed--disgusting--plus other fake food travesties that horrify you **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 25, 2012, 9:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-learned-that-salmon-is-dyed-disgusting-plus-other-fake-food-travesties-that-horrify-you/626229 "2012-06-25T09:42:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![Dallas\_Jones](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dallas_jones/32/3277_2.png) [@Dallas\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dallas_Jones)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2012, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-learned-that-salmon-is-dyed-disgusting-plus-other-fake-food-travesties-that-horrify-you/626229/121 "2012-06-26T19:09:21Z")
Regarding ‘dyed’ farmed salmon, the linked Cracked article is absolutely full of shit. > [@](#): > > Because the fish can’t move much and their diet consists entirely of aquarium pellets, the salmon that arrives at your local Safeway is as gray as a British winter. This is completly wrong, no Safeway is drenching the salmon filets in dye. The ‘dye’ is added to the food the fish are fed and builds up in their flesh over time, the same way that the natural colorings from the shrimp and krill that salmon eat in the wild builds up. It works the same way because the coloring **is the same** , Astaxanthin. > **[Astaxanthin](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astaxanthin)** > > .mw-parser-output .ib-chembox{border-collapse:collapse;text-align:left}.mw-parser-output .ib-chembox td,.mw-parser-output .ib-chembox th{border:1px solid #a2a9b1;width:40%}.mw-parser-output .ib-chembox td+td{width:60%}@media screen{html.skin-theme-clientpref-night .mw-parser-output .ib-chembox figure:not(.skin-invert-image):not(.skin-invert):not(.bg-transparent){background:var(--background-color-inverted,#f8f9fa)}}@media screen and (prefers-color-scheme:dark){html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-p... Wild fish get the astaxanthin from the things they feed on, DSM and Roche get thier astaxanthin from algae farms. Fish feed manufacturers add the astaxanthin to the feed. It is not some ‘chemical dye’, it is the same carotenoid present in salmon’s natural diet. Now, farmed fish is crappy fish, that is a different discussion, but whoever wrote that Cracked article did not do much or any research. Dallas Jones, former salmon feed manufacturer. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2012, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-learned-that-salmon-is-dyed-disgusting-plus-other-fake-food-travesties-that-horrify-you/626229/122 "2012-06-26T19:29:21Z")
> [@gwendee](#): > > I was told that marigolds are what gets fed to chickens, too. > > Why did anyone bother to change the color of cheddar, though? My understanding of red velvet cake is that the red color was to mask the pallid greyness of a cake made with cocoa rather than chocolate. That makes sense, but what’s wrong with milk colored cheese? Cows eating a diet high in beta carotenes produce milk with a bit of a yellow or orange color, which imparts a natural yellow/orange color to cheese made from that milk. At some point, people began to value cheeses made from such milk that were naturally that color, which gave incentive to other people to color white cheese to make it look yellow or orange. In other words, nothing wrong with white cheese, just that some folks have gotten used to yellow and orange cheese in the ensuing centuries and expect certain cheeses to be that color regardless. ---
**Author:** ![Dallas\_Jones](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dallas_jones/32/3277_2.png) [@Dallas\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dallas_Jones)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2012, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-learned-that-salmon-is-dyed-disgusting-plus-other-fake-food-travesties-that-horrify-you/626229/123 "2012-06-26T19:30:56Z")
> [@levdrakon](#): > > It’s confusing because most of the references I find will say “salmon get their coloration from crustaceons, shrimp etc. just like flamingos and this coloring is important for things like spawning.” > > So, they imply the spawning colors are caused by their diet but it seems they’re confusing skin coloration (which in fish can be all over the place) with the inner flesh color. The carotenoids that color the flesh of both wild and farmed salmon are important vitamins for egg development. They are not referring to the skin color changes. Even captive brood stock, fish held in hatcheries for egg production and species recovery, are also fed the feed with these coloring agents even though they will never be slaughtered for food. ---
**Author:** ![Bozuit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/edb3f5/32.png) [@Bozuit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bozuit)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2012, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-learned-that-salmon-is-dyed-disgusting-plus-other-fake-food-travesties-that-horrify-you/626229/124 "2012-06-26T20:09:29Z")
> [@gwendee](#): > > My understanding of red velvet cake is that the red color was to mask the pallid greyness of a cake made with cocoa rather than chocolate. Cake made with cocoa is brown. To be honest I’ve never heard of chocolate cake being made with actual chocolate, rather than cocoa. ---
**Author:** ![gwendee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/35a633/32.png) [@gwendee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gwendee)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2012, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-learned-that-salmon-is-dyed-disgusting-plus-other-fake-food-travesties-that-horrify-you/626229/125 "2012-06-26T20:38:40Z")
> [@Cheesesteak](#): > > I’m pretty sure it’s just an easy way to use up all your leftover beetles. Don’t they need those to make Dr Pepper? > [@Bozuit](#): > > Cake made with cocoa is brown. To be honest I’ve never heard of chocolate cake being made with actual chocolate, rather than cocoa. The only chocolate cake I make from scratch is the One Bowl recipe on Baker’s Chocolate. I really don’t mean that in the “oh yeah, well…” way that I’m afraid it will come across, just thought you might enjoy knowing. And my source for the cocoa speculation was my aunt, not the Cooks Illustrated Red Velvet issue so I’m not surprised to have it debunked. ---
**Author:** ![Kimballkid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b5a626/32.png) [@Kimballkid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimballkid)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2012, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-learned-that-salmon-is-dyed-disgusting-plus-other-fake-food-travesties-that-horrify-you/626229/126 "2012-06-26T20:40:38Z")
You can make chocolate cake with the chocolate baking squares. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2012, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-learned-that-salmon-is-dyed-disgusting-plus-other-fake-food-travesties-that-horrify-you/626229/127 "2012-06-26T21:00:39Z")
> [@Bozuit](#): > > Cake made with cocoa is brown. To be honest I’ve never heard of chocolate cake being made with actual chocolate, rather than cocoa. My grandmother’s chocolate cake was made with unsweetened baker’s chocolate. I remember because I tried to eat some like a candy bar. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2012, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-learned-that-salmon-is-dyed-disgusting-plus-other-fake-food-travesties-that-horrify-you/626229/128 "2012-06-26T23:34:35Z")
> [@Rhaegar](#): > > I think there was a thin recently about Starbucks using ground up beetles to give the strawberry color to their smoothies. Ugh. Oh my god! Next you’ll be telling me that they use sea kelp in ice cream! ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2012, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-learned-that-salmon-is-dyed-disgusting-plus-other-fake-food-travesties-that-horrify-you/626229/129 "2012-06-27T00:35:25Z")
I’m still hoping somebody will come forward with support for the notion that oranges are dyed. ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2012, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-learned-that-salmon-is-dyed-disgusting-plus-other-fake-food-travesties-that-horrify-you/626229/130 "2012-06-27T01:33:20Z")
> [@gwendee](#): > > Don’t they need those to make Dr Pepper? . . . I thought Dr Pepper was made with prune juice. At least that’s what it tastes like to me. Beetles would be an improvement. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2012, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-learned-that-salmon-is-dyed-disgusting-plus-other-fake-food-travesties-that-horrify-you/626229/131 "2012-06-27T01:55:42Z")
> [@Ike\_Witt](#): > > I’m still hoping somebody will come forward with support for the notion that oranges are dyed. They’re really talking about [de-greening](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orange_%28fruit%29#Degreening), which is not dyeing, and probably isn’t very common either. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2012, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-learned-that-salmon-is-dyed-disgusting-plus-other-fake-food-travesties-that-horrify-you/626229/132 "2012-06-27T01:56:03Z")
> [@Ike\_Witt](#): > > I’m still hoping somebody will come forward with support for the notion that oranges are dyed. Don’t hold your breath.😃 ---
**Author:** ![MLS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@MLS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MLS)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2012, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-learned-that-salmon-is-dyed-disgusting-plus-other-fake-food-travesties-that-horrify-you/626229/133 "2012-06-27T02:39:31Z")
Okay, here’s [one site](http://www.organicauthority.com/fruits/oranges.html)that says Florida oranges are sometimes dyed: > [@](#): > > Choosing oranges can become a little tricky, because color is not necessarily an indicator to the fruit’s ripeness. Why? Because Florida oranges are often dyed with food coloring! Except the organic ones of course. Buying locally from your farmers market can help you avoid those specimens. But also, some oranges undergo a “regreening” after they are ripe, so while they appear greenish and under ripe, they are actually the most delicious of all. I just googled “Oranges dyed orange” and found several hits. ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2012, 9:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-learned-that-salmon-is-dyed-disgusting-plus-other-fake-food-travesties-that-horrify-you/626229/134 "2012-06-27T09:26:55Z")
> [@Ike\_Witt](#): > > I’m still hoping somebody will come forward with support for the notion that oranges are dyed. > [@kayaker](#): > > Don’t hold your breath.😃 Ike, [you can breathe now.](http://www.fshs.org/Proceedings/Password%20Protected/1990%20Vol.%20103/259-260%20(HEARN).pdf) I’m rather skeptical of MLS’s cite, and the other cites I saw when searching “oranges dyed”, there’s a lot of blah blah blah but no hard facts from reliable sources. Then I searched for “degreening” and found a good looking document from CJ Hearn, US Dept Agriculture. > [@](#): > > Test 3, evaluation of fruit decay following degreening and color-add prior to storage The color-add was done at a commercial packinghouse, Hearn did not strictly control this test, he only sampled the oranges that were routinely processed by the packer. ---
**Author:** ![amanset](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8dc957/32.png) [@amanset](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amanset)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2012, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-learned-that-salmon-is-dyed-disgusting-plus-other-fake-food-travesties-that-horrify-you/626229/135 "2012-06-27T12:19:56Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > Who is going to enforce that law? The olive oil police? > > I have in my hand a two liter bottle of Bertolli Extra Virgin Olive Oil. On the shoulder of the bottle, near the use by date, are the codes for the country of origin; Italy, Greece, Spain and Tunisia, all in one bottle. Acoording to the label, Bertolli also sources oil from Morocco, Chile, Argentina and Australia. Oil brokers buy and sell huge tankers of the stuff, which is comingled and eventually sold to a bottler. > > How is an enforcement body supposed to keep track of it all, and how would they know if some cheap vegetable oil was added? As far as I am aware, DEFRA is responsible for that in the UK. Surely the US has some kind of equivalent. [http://www.defra.gov.uk/food-farm/food/labelling/](http://www.defra.gov.uk/food-farm/food/labelling/) I’m guessing that chemically there is a difference between Olive Oil and Vegetable Oil that would show up with testing, or that the levels of certain things would be suspiciously high/low. Of course it would be easy to try such things and probably get away with it (testing would probably only be done when there is suspicion) but surely you are not saying that just because it is difficult we just shouldn’t bother? ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2012, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-learned-that-salmon-is-dyed-disgusting-plus-other-fake-food-travesties-that-horrify-you/626229/136 "2012-06-27T12:31:22Z")
> [@amanset](#): > > …but surely you are not saying that just because it is difficult we just shouldn’t bother? I am saying that currently, for whatever reason, _no one_ bothers, and olive oil labelling is a sham. ---
**Author:** ![Bozuit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/edb3f5/32.png) [@Bozuit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bozuit)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2012, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-learned-that-salmon-is-dyed-disgusting-plus-other-fake-food-travesties-that-horrify-you/626229/137 "2012-06-27T12:37:26Z")
Evidence for your claim? I find it unlikely that such large companies would risk so much by breaking the law in such a fundamental way for their industry. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2012, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-learned-that-salmon-is-dyed-disgusting-plus-other-fake-food-travesties-that-horrify-you/626229/138 "2012-06-27T13:26:46Z")
> [@Bozuit](#): > > Evidence for your claim? Primarily on the [investigative work by Tom Mueller](http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2007/08/13/070813fa_fact_mueller) of The New Yorker magazine. ---
**Author:** ![lance\_strongarm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/87869e/32.png) [@lance\_strongarm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lance_strongarm)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2012, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-learned-that-salmon-is-dyed-disgusting-plus-other-fake-food-travesties-that-horrify-you/626229/139 "2012-06-27T13:52:10Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > Who is going to enforce that law? The olive oil police? The FDA and USDA have many labeling regulations, and they do enforce them. States also have labeling regulations. I don’t know what the regs are relating to olive oil though. > [@](#): > > How is an enforcement body supposed to keep track of it all, and how would they know if some cheap vegetable oil was added? They can test the stuff - for purity and quality. > **[Researchers at UC Davis find problems again with purity of imported olive oil](https://www.latimes.com/archives/blogs/money-company/story/2011-04-13/researchers-at-uc-davis-find-problems-again-with-purity-of-imported-olive-oil)** > > This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. No, it’s not easy. No, the government doesn’t do a great enforcement job. I’m sure lots of it slips through, as this article says. ---
**Author:** ![lance\_strongarm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/87869e/32.png) [@lance\_strongarm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lance_strongarm)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2012, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-learned-that-salmon-is-dyed-disgusting-plus-other-fake-food-travesties-that-horrify-you/626229/140 "2012-06-27T13:53:56Z")
> [@Bozuit](#): > > Evidence for your claim? I find it unlikely that such large companies would risk so much by breaking the law in such a fundamental way for their industry. It’s very easy to hide adulterated oil, and hard to detect it. Enforcement is lax and penalties are small. Of course, if most consumers can’t tell the difference, it’s not that big of a deal in the first place. Those who care will know what to buy. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-learned-that-salmon-is-dyed-disgusting-plus-other-fake-food-travesties-that-horrify-you/626229.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-learned-that-salmon-is-dyed-disgusting-plus-other-fake-food-travesties-that-horrify-you/626229.md?page=8)