Q. Are your herring and sardines wild caught or farmed?
A. Our herring and sardines are wild fish caught off the coast of Nova Scotia in the North Atlantic Ocean.
Q. Are our cans BPA free?
A. The cans are lined with a BPA free, FDA approved coating.
Q. What type of salt and how much do you use in your products?
A. We use food-grade salt , FDA approved . The kippers have 3.4 mg of sodium per gram and the smoked mackerel has 3.8 mg of sodium per gram. The mackerel picks up slightly more salt in processing. Non-smoked products also have salt added for flavour.
Q. What type of sunflower oil do you use and what are the reasons and benefits of using this oil in the product? Is the sunflower oil cold pressed or solvent expelled?
A. We use sunflower oil for the light taste and since it is non-GMO ( genetically modified organism) . The sunflower oil we use is high oleic ( contains 80% oleic acid (Omega-9), making it highly stable under high heat. With a neutral flavor and high smoke point, it is an excellent, alternative to olive or avocado oil.
Q. How much mercury is in your products?
A. Total mercury levels are well below, in general about one tenth the Canadian standard for total mercury.
Q. Why is the can of fish not full?
A. All cans are hand packed and the size of the fish varies as these are wild caught fish. The fish is cooked during the sterilization process which removes water from the herring and the fish shrinks.
Q. Why does the tab break when I open the can? What can I do to make it work?
A. We are working on this issue as unfortunately it does come up from time to time. When opening the can ensure the tab is straight as it is lifted. It is possible to use a can opener as well.
Q. "Glass" in canned fish (struvite)
A. Occasionally, you may find a piece of something that looks like glass in your canned fish.
How struvite gets in canned fish
Fish have naturally occurring elements that can develop into crystals during the heating and canning process.
Product safety
Struvite does not pose a health risk. It is a harmless compound of magnesium ammonium phosphate. When you eat it, struvite gets broken down naturally by your stomach acid.
How to tell if it's struvite
Struvite may look like glass but if you examine it with a magnifying glass, you will see that its edges are smooth, whereas the edges of broken glass are irregular. Struvite is also softer than glass and can be scratched. If you crush the struvite crystal, it will usually break into smaller crystals or powder.
If you are still not sure that the crystal is struvite, then you can conduct a simple test by putting the crystals in warm acid, such as vinegar or lemon juice. Struvite will dissolve while glass will not.
