Mussels

Sourcing food is unfortunately not as straight forward as it should be. The concept of eating wild foods has recently gained popularity and is often thought to be most favourable source. Mussels are a great example of how this is not always true.

Foraging wild mussels is definitely a joy, especially in beautiful settings like Newfoundland, but comes with necessary considerations like what is the water quality?

Mussels eat primarily plankton which they obtain by filtering up to 20 gallons of water a day. So if the water quality is poor, riddled with toxins or bacteria, the mussels accumulate these as they filter water so when we consume the mussels, we also consume the toxins and bacteria.

In fact, they are so effective at sequestering toxins in polluted water that scientists are looking at mussels as a form of bioremediation.

Wild mussels from clean water are great, but if unable to determine the source, buying sustainably farmed mussels is a far better choice.

Mussel aquaculture is zero-input, meaning that the mussels don’t need added food or fertilizer so as long as they are grown in clean water, the mussels will be low in toxins and high in quality.

The most common approach to sustainable mussel farming is to collect wild young mussels referred to as seed, and place them into mesh sleeves called socks, which are attached to rope and suspended in deep subtidal water. The sock ensures the mussels have access to nutrient rich seawater. This also allows for control of water quality.

This method also benefits the consumer by reducing labour in the kitchen. Since farmed mussels are suspended in water rather than attached to rocky ledges or sandy ocean floors like their wild counterparts, they accumulate less sand and grit, aren’t covered in barnacles, and have less beard, making them much easier in the kitchen to prep and clean.

Mussels are also considered to be environmentally sustainable because they harness carbon dioxide caused by greenhouse gases for shell formation.

So when shopping for mussels, rope-grown, farm-raised are best choice.

On the topic of sourcing, another added complication is that foods we once thought were rich in nutrients, are now depleted due to poor farming practices like monocrop farming. This technique gives high yield but reduces nutrients in our soils and therefore in our food we consume. Another example of this is factory farming, where animals are fed food like corn rather than the diverse diets found naturally in the wild, therefor having a negative impact on their nutritional profile.

So when people ask about food, I always encourage them to try to buy as direct from the source as possible, so they are given the opportunity to ask farmers what their practices are and make an informed decision about the food they purchase.

I also suggest eating as diverse foods as possible to allow sourcing of our nutrients to come from many different vehicles, increasing our chances of obtaining all our nutrient needs.

If you recall from my previous post, mussels are zero-input, meaning they don’t require any feed or fertilizer, so as long as water quality is good, the quality of mussels are good.

Nutritionally, mussels are rich in protein, omega 3, b vitamins especially b12, vitamin C, and minerals such as manganese, iron, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, and selenium.

Consider adding them to your rotation of proteins, as a great source of minerals that our vegetables may be lacking in due to poor soil quality.

Dr. Cristina Allen ND