When Don Read feeds the salmon on his fish farm, he adds in a chemical that changes the color of their flesh. Without the chemical in their feed, the farm-raised salmon would naturally be white — not an appealing look to customers seeking the classically reddish-pink fish, which is the second most popular seafood item in the U.S. And Read is not alone. Most fish farmers add pigmenting compounds to the food they give their salmon, so that the fish achieve the same deep pink color that wild salmon get naturally from the crustaceans and other food in their environment. "If we didn't do it, customers wouldn't buy it," said Read, who runs West Creek Aquaculture, a British Columbia-based fish farm. "Consumers buy what they're familiar with. Consumers buy what they are comfortable with. They won't go into the store to buy white salmon."

Read more at time.com