MEET THE FIRST FDA-APPROVED GENETICALLY ENGINEERED ANIMAL
Frankenfish
MEET THE FIRST FDA-APPROVED GENETICALLY ENGINEERED ANIMAL
ENGINEERED SALMON— FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION, BUT STILL NO LABEL SAYING IT’ S BEEN GENETICALLY MODIFIED
November 19, 2015, the FDA approved genetically engineered( GE) salmon for human consumption— without labeling it as genetically modified and insisting that it’ s safe— while at the same time challenged the term“ Non-GMO,” saying that it conveyed an overly broad and inaccurate meaning when referring to food products. The FDA’ s rationale was,“ Most foods do not contain entire organisms.”
They’ d prefer food labels to say,“ Not bioengineered,” or“ This oil is made from soybeans that were not genetically engineered.” Plus, the FDA is still opposed to mandatory disclosure of genetically modified ingredients on food labels.
For consumers and companies who fight for the right to know what’ s in their food and to keep GMOs out of their foods and products by the“ Non-GMO” label, that’ s unthinkable.
The GE fish is AquAdvantage salmon, produced by AquaBounty Technologies in Waltham, MA., and the FDA states it has“ rigorously evaluated extensive data submitted by the manufacturer... and other peer-reviewed data.” It adds,
“ There are no biologically relevant differences in the nutritional profile of AquAdvantage salmon compared to that of other farm-raised Atlantic salmon.”
The salmon are not the same, though. For starters, the genetically modified salmon combines the genes of Atlantic salmon and Chinook salmon with those of a different marine species, an ocean pout, to make it grow twice as fast.
The GE salmon is also more allergenic, and the GE fish can escape holding areas and reproduce, although AquaBounty reports that the fish are well-contained and sterile. But Canadian scientists pointed out that the GE salmon could crossbreed with a closely related species and pass on GE traits to offspring. Additionally, the Center for Food Safety and other entities cited reports of negligence and mismanagement at AquaBounty’ s facilities that could increase fish escape risk.
The FDA indicates that the GE salmon is safe, doesn’ t require a GE label, and plans to make it available nationwide in about two years, but consumers still want to know if the food they eat is genetically modified or not.