FDA Approves First Genetically Engineered Animal For Food

The FDA said its approval does not allow this fast-growing salmon to be bred or grown in the US “There is no credible evidence that these fish are a risk to either human health or the environment”, Muir said in a statement.

In this photo taken September 20, 2010.

On welcoming the approval of the new animal drug application by the FDA, AquaBounty Chief Executive Officer Ronald L. Stotish commented: “AquAdvantage Salmon is a game-changer that brings healthy and nutritious food to consumers in an environmentally responsible manner without damaging the ocean and other marine habitats”. The modified fish is “AquAdvantage salmon”, a type of Atlantic salmon that grows faster than regular non-GM salmon while consuming less food. The FDA did not find any differences between traditional salmon and AquaBounty’s, so the company will not have to label it as such.

AquAdvantage, produced by Massachusetts-based AquaBounty, is an Atlantic salmon that contains a growth hormone from a Chinook salmon and has been given a gene from the ocean pout, an eel-like fish. The company argues its fish actually could reduce pressure on wild fish stocks and prevent the overfishing of Atlantic salmon.

Bernadette Dunham, D.V.M., Ph.D., the director of the Center for Veterinary Medicine of the FDA, said in the press release that AquaBounty has met the regulatory requirements for approval.

Will consumers buy the salmon, which is the first GMO animal approved in the U.S.? This would ensure they don’t breed with other salmon. The Food and Drug Administration has granted approval to the AquAdvantage Salmon, a variety of Atlantic salmon that was modified to grow twice as fast as other salmon.

Labels do not have to specify that a food product is genetically engineered.

Under pressure from activists who oppose genetically modified foods, a few retailers have pledged not to sell the salmon at all. And it’s still unclear whether the public will have an appetite for the fish. Others believe breeding engineered animals is an ethical issue.

Critics have pressured retailers to reject the salmon, which they have labeled “Frankenfish”. In 2011, Congress voiced concerns about its safety, saying it would try to keep the AquAdvantage salmon out of stores. Although companies can voluntarily label their products as genetically modified, the lack of hard requirements means that customers can buy altered fish without knowing it. The same is true of genetically modified crops, of which many are already on the market.