FDA Approves Genetically Engineered Salmon

In a blow to Alaska’s salmon industry, the Food and Drug Administration announced this morning it has approved genetically modified salmon, finding it is as safe to eat as natural salmon.

The FDA scientists rigorously evaluated extensive data submitted by the manufacturer, AquaBounty Technologies, and other peer-reviewed data, to assess whether AquAdvantage salmon met the criteria for approval established by law; namely, safety and effectiveness.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Thursday the company’s genetically engineered Atlantic salmon was as nutritious as the farm-raised ones and was safe for consumption.

“AquaBounty developed a form of salmon that grows faster and is much more efficient in the conversion of feed to protein, compared to conventional salmon”, University of Edinburgh’s Professor Helen Sang said.

Mayne said there’s no way consumers could know they were eating the modified salmon. In a statement, the agency said that the data indicated “that food from the GE salmon is safe to eat by humans and animals” and “that the genetic engineering is safe for the fish”.

There is no evidence that the foods would be unsafe, but for a few people, it’s an ethical issue.

As for these special salmon, they will contain two different fish genes to speed up growth. The approval does not allow AquAdvantage Salmon to be bred or raised in the United States. As a result, the fish will not have to be labeled as a genetically engineered product, agency officials said. These facilities are equipped with multiple physical barriers and other redundancies to keep the genetically modified fish or their eggs from escaping and making their way to surrounding waters.

The FDA is not requiring companies to label the altered fish.

And the Center for Food Safety, an environmental-advocacy group, says it will sue the FDA to block the approval of the salmon.

It is true that many timorous grocery store executives have agreed not to sell the fish, but let’s hope that others will offer this new item to their customers.

These two guidance documents include a draft guidance on voluntary labeling indicating whether food has or has not been derived from GE Atlantic salmon, and a final guidance on voluntary labeling indicating whether food has or has not been derived from GE plants.

Critics of genetically modified foods have derided such animals as “Frankenfoods”. Finally, the AquAdvantage Salmon are reproductively sterile so that even in the highly unlikely event of an escape, they would be unable to interbreed or establish populations in the wild.