Barnacles Benefits + Side Effects

By Adriane Marie •  Updated: 08/03/22 •  9 min read
barnacles benefits and side effects

HEALTH

Energy: barnacles are good for / help nervous system health
Longevity: barnacles are good for / help boost immunity, cardiovascular health
Appearance: barnacles are good for / help weight loss

Barnacles are…

ENVIRONMENT

Water footprint: unknown
Carbon footprint: unknown
Destruction

Barnacles are…

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08/15/2022 02:58 pm GMT

ANIMALS

Kills: barnacles, a type of crustacean

Harms: barnacles, a type of crustacean

Indirectly kills or harms: wildlife and ecosystems

Barnacles are…

LABORERS

Health and safety: hazardous, fishing workers are at risk of accident, injury, and death, reports show 20% of workers and almost 50% of trafficked victims have been injured on the job, injuries include cuts, broken bone, lost fingers, hands and limbs, head injuries, electrocutions, workers get caught in machinery, get thrown overboard, deaths are reported, boat decks are slippery and in constant motion, there can be hazardous machinery present

Living conditions: Poor. Fishing boats using such migrant workers often lack toilets, they must work for long hours, intensive labor, rapid exhaustion, workers are held at sea and work against their will, they load their catch onto bigger, commercial  fishing boats in exchange for food and supplies, seafood caught illegally from slave worker boats gets mixed in with legal, commercial fishing boats in order to remain undetected, the boats filled with trafficked migrants do not dock, sometimes for years on end, keeping the slave workers unseen and trapped at sea, continuing the forced labor and abuse.

Fishing industries around the world are responsible for systematic, illegal, fishing practices human rights abuse, fishing workers are vulnerable to human trafficking and slave labor, in countries like Thailand (the third largest seafood exporter in the world), Burma, Indonesia, and Fiji seafood slavery is a major issue for migrant workers originally from Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam, seafood consumed in the United States is mostly from foreign sources, only 3% of fish and shellfish is caught or farmed in American territory, many developed countries depend on imported seafood

Wages:

low, recruiters promise well paying jobs to poor, unskilled and vulnerable laborers, recruiters trick migrants into thinking they must work to pay off their debts, referred to as “debt peonage”, and little to no compensation for their work is given for long periods and maybe even years and are paid below the minimum wage 

Barnacles have…

Where do most barnacles come from?

The world’s top barnacle exporting country is Norway, followed by New Zealand, China, Spain, Denmark, Chile, Hong Kong, Netherlands, South Africa and Belgium.

acidic foods and alkaline diet to improve ph levels

barnacles are acidic.

Are barnacles alkaline or acidic? Barnacles is acidic. What is the pH level of barnacles? Barnacles have a 6.0 pH level, once digested. Shellfish are an acidic food group.

When you eat food, it is broken down to an ash residue that can be neutral, acidic or alkaline. Minerals such as potassium, calcium, magnesium, sodium, zinc, silver, copper and iron produce an alkaline ash; whereas sulfur, phosphorus, chlorine and iodine, which are found in meat, coffee, dairy and alcohol, leave an acid ash.

Going alkaline easier than ever with this: Acidic and Alkaline Foods List

barnacles are gluten free.

gluten free foods and what to eat on a gluten free diet

Are barnacles gluten free? Yes, barnacles is gluten free. Unseasoned barnacles do not contain gluten. Barnacles are a type of marine crustacean, making it a gluten free food. 

While celiac disease may not be as rampant as many marketing trends lead us to believe, you may have a gluten sensitivity…

Celiac and gluten sensitivity symptoms are similar and may include:

There are hundreds of potential symptoms, many of which are also symptoms of other conditions.

Going gluten-free easier than ever with this: Gluten and Gluten Free Foods List

barnacles are a common food allergen: crustacean shellfish.

the most common food allergens include milk, wheat, soy, fish, tree nuts, peanuts, eggs and crustaceans

Are barnacles a common food allergen? Yes, barnacles are a common food allergen: crustacean shellfish. Many people experience allergic reactions to barnacles.

A group of the eight major allergenic foods, AKA the Big-8, include:

These foods account for about 90% of all food allergies in the United States.

Severe food allergies can be life threatening. Following ingestion of a food allergen, a person with food allergies can experience a severe, life-threatening allergic reaction called anaphylaxis. 

Persons may still be allergic to and have serious reactions to foods other than the eight foods identified by the law.

Be aware of common dietary restrictions and food allergens with this: The Big 8 Most Common Food Allergens List

barnacles have a moderate carbon footprint.

carbon footprints of food and food emissions

Do barnacles have a high or low carbon footprint? Barnacles has a moderate carbon footprint compared to other foods.

What is the carbon footprint of barnacles? It takes around 2.6 kg CO2e to produce 1 kilogram or 2.2 pounds of unprocessed, freshly landed shellfish, a car driving equivalent of 5.75 miles or 9.25 kilometers.

Food not only has a water footprint but also a carbon footprint, known as CO2e, which stands for carbon dioxide equivalent. Since carbon measurements are a bit more difficult to comprehend, it is common to equate CO2e to the distance which a car drives in miles or kilometers.

When calculating carbon emissions, some factors that may be included are…

There are a number of steps that can be taken to reduce energy output. According to Oxford Martin School researchers, if the world went vegan, eliminating animal-derived products, it could reduce greenhouse gas emissions by two thirds and avoid climate damages of $1.5 trillion.

It’s best to keep the following in mind when grocery shopping:

Growing plant-based foods at home is the most environmentally sustainable method with zero carbon footprint.

Find out how much carbon your food emits with this: Carbon Footprints of Foods and Ingredients List

barnacles are unsustainable.

seafood is unsustainable food

Overall, are barnacles eco friendly and sustainable?

Barnacle production is relatively unsustainable.

Whether farmed or wild caught, the seafood industry is environmentally destructive due to its direct impact on decreasing marine populations, polluting waters and habitat destruction.

Bottom trawling, or dragging, is a commercial fishing technique where nets are dragged along the bottom of ocean floors (targeting demersal fish, or groundfish, like cod, haddock, flatfish, turbot, halibut as well as cod, squid, shrimp, rockfish, etc.) This damages coral (shelter to many sea animals) and stirs up sediment (which blocks sunlight from reaching underwater plants and creates dead zones from oxygen deficiency). A shocking 95% of worldwide ocean damage is a direct result of bottom trawling!

Fish farming, or aquafarming, is not a sustainable alternative. Not only do farmed fish need to be fed fish to eat (perpetuating a never-ending cycle of fishing) but waters become contaminated with antibiotics (to prevent disease that inevitably occurs with overcrowded fish confinements), pesticides, parasites and fish feces. The toxic water then spreads to waterways and oceans, polluting ecosystems and eventually killing off wild fish populations.

In most countries the majority of seafood is imported. The world’s major fish and seafood supplier is China (in both value and volume). Much of the fish from western countries, like the United States, is often sent overseas where workers process the seafood for a fraction of the cost. It is then returned to its country of origin to be consumed, making an unnecessary journey across the planet and back and contributing to carbon emissions.

All of the aforementioned fishing practices occur in order to meet global demand. The obvious solution for protecting our Earth’s oceans and waterways, marine habitats, ecosystems and wildlife is for consumers to significantly reduce or eliminate their seafood demand entirely.

barnacles are not vegan.

seafood and fish is not vegan

Are barnacles vegan? No, barnacles are not vegan. Barnacles are a type of shellfish, a marine animal that must be killed in order to produce barnacles for food consumption. 

Because we cannot see for ourselves how these animals live and what they endure does not mean it isn’t happening. The meat, poultry and dairy industries do everything they can to distance us from knowing how our food comes to be in order to keep us in the dark about what we support each time we buy animal derived products and byproducts.

Go vegan for animals!

It’s the best way to help animals and it’s not as difficult as you may think. Speak for animals with your actions, for they cannot speak at all.

Going vegan is easier than ever, at a glance with this: Vegan and Non Vegan Foods List

barnacles have labor issues.

labor rights, human rights and workers rights issues

Are barnacles a product that has known labor issues?

Yes. There are reports of serious worker mistreatment regarding the seafood industry. Barnacles are a product that has labor concerns.

There are high numbers of trafficked people promised work but then held at sea against their will. Boats filled with trafficked migrants do not dock, sometimes for years on end, keeping slave workers unseen and trapped at sea, continuing the forced labor. Recruiters trick migrants into thinking they must work to pay off their debts, referred to as “debt peonage”. There is little to no compensation for their work. Seafood caught illegally from slave worker boats gets mixed in with legal, commercial fishing boats in order to remain undetected.

Fishing industries around the world are responsible for systematic, illegal fishing practices and human rights abuse. Fishing workers are vulnerable to human trafficking and slave labor, especially in countries like Thailand (the third largest seafood exporter in the world), Burma, Indonesia and Fiji. Seafood slavery is a major issue for migrant workers originally from Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam.

We improve lives around the world if we boycott problematic foods that are difficult for human rights authorities to regulate.

Sources:

What are barnacles?
Barnacles Prefer Upwelling Currents, Enriching Food Chains
Barnacles: The Forgotten Species | Western Australian Museum

Adriane Marie

Hi, I'm Adriane, creator of HEALabel! I organize info for you to comprehensively see how purchases impact health, environment, animals and laborers. Stay aware because you care! Subscribe below to get my weekly newsletter with tips, new info and other ethical consumer insight.

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