U.S. consumers want and need country-of-origin labels on food. Recent food poisoning scandals - linked to contaminated pet, pork and poultry food ingredients from China, along with tainted produce and seafood - have taken away many Americans' appetites for cheap imported foods.

Are you a seafood lover? If so you could unknowingly be served up a plate of parasites, toxins, and mercury with that delectable lobster dish or tasty shrimp scampi. Mercury toxin in fish cannot be destroyed by cooking or freezing the fish, but there are some foods from the sea that carry less of a risk than others. Read on for seafood safety tips.

Scombroid food poisoning is a foodborne illness that results from eating spoiled (decayed) fish. It is the second most common type of seafood poisoning, second only to ciguatera. However it is often missed because it resembles an allergic reaction. It is most commonly reported with tuna, mahi-mahi, bonito, sardines, anchovies, and related species of fish that were inadequately refrigerated or preserved after being caught. Scombroid can result from inappropriate handling of fish during storage or processing. One of the toxic agents implicated in scombroid poisoning is a chemical called histamine. Other chemicals have been found in decaying fish flesh, but their association to scombroid fish poisoning has not been clearly established.