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 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!

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!