Why is some salmon dyed red?

Answer 1

All Farmed Salmon has foodcoloring added to the feed. Only Grocery stores are required to label it as so. The nature of wild salmon is to eat a diet that is high in carotens (lots of shellfish) but the feed for farmed fish is made from a large variety of disfavorable fish and their byproducts when proccesing. If there were no color added the flesh would be a dingy grey and not the orange and reds that we are used to.

Answer 2

Typically, farm raised salmon is fed the "dye" to make it look like salmon, else the flesh would be whitish/greyish like most other fish.

Farm raised salmon don't get a chance to eat krill like wild salmon. The color in the krill's shell is what gives the salmon it's distinctive orange color.

Answer 3

Actually farm-raised salmon, which has gray flesh (due to diet) has been dyed to match the orange/red flesh of its wild brethern. Its actually gone to court on whether the stores selling farm-raised dyed salmon have to disclose that the fish has been treated with artificial colors.

Answer 4

because it is farmed, it does not get the nutrients and elements it needs to become the proper color of wild caught salmon, Red food color is added to the feed. The color is carmine, which is crushed cochlear beatles, and is what is in most artificial red coloring. The color passes into the flesh of the fish. It causes allergic reactions in many people (myself included) I though I was allergic to fish until I made this discovery

Answer 5

All meat is color enhanced because people wouldn't buy it if it were the natural grey color that dead meat changes to. Could you imagine going to the store and buying a grey steak? I wouldn't worry about it too much unless you think food coloring is going to kill you. The industry just knows the reality of human psychology.

Answer 6

Simply put, because we, as consumers, expect it salmon to be pink.

Answer 7

They aren't dyed red, they're originally a pink/orange color, but turn redder when cooked.