Angry consumers have taken three huge supermarket chains to court for failing to give customers the skinny on the salmon sold at the fish counter. Albertsons, Safeway, and Kroger (which owns QFC and Fred Meyer) are accused of deception, unfair business practices, breach of warranty, and negligent misrepresentation for failing to accurately label farm-raised salmon that were fed artificial nutrients. At issue are two chemicals used by fish farmers to turn the otherwise-gray salmon flesh pink, thereby making it more marketable. (Farmed fish are a different color from wild salmon because they are fed a different diet. Wild salmon come by their pink flesh naturally.) Critics say one of the chemicals, canthaxanthin (which is also used in tanning pills), can cause damage to the human eye. The suit demands that all retailers be required to label fish as farm-raised or wild.
