Are farmed fish dyed orange?

We do not add any dye to make our fillets red, orange or pink. All the colour in their meat actually comes from something called astaxanthin.

Astaxanthin is an antioxidant that helps the fish absorb their vitamins better, mostly vitamin K. It also improves their overall health and immune systems.

It has health benefits for the fish, but also for YOU too — you can even buy it as a supplement at the health food store. (Just be careful, because it’s supposed to boost male fertility!)

We add astaxanthin to the fish’s feed, along with a specially formulated mix of other vitamins, minerals and antioxidants to keep them healthy.

The fact that it colours the fillets is just a byproduct. It’s the same thing that makes shrimp, flamingos, and lobsters red as well!

Wild fish can get astaxanthin from eating different algaes and bugs, but not everywhere in the seas. That’s why some wild trout, salmon and char can be a super deep orange, and others can be pale.

If you buy Arctic char from Baffin Island, it has a deep red colour because the algae in the north produces a significant amount of astaxanthin. But we’ve found that the Arctic char we grow don’t need quite so much, which is why you’ll notice our fillets are a lighter colour instead.

The confusing part is that everyone thinks that the colour of the fillet equates to freshness and quality. Even though that isn’t true, farmers are still expected to have orange fillets in order to sell our fish.

So we kill two birds with one stone (or is that catch two fish with one worm?) and add astaxanthin for the improved health of our fish, and because it gives the colour customers expect!