AquAdvantage contains genes from Chinook salmon and another fish called an ocean pout that allow the fish to grow faster.
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AquAdvantage salmon reaches market size in less time than conventionally farmed Atlantic salmon.
Regulators “determined that food from AquAdvantage Salmon is as safe to eat and as nutritious as food from other non-GE (genetically engineered) Atlantic salmon”, the FDA said. The agency said the salmon met several safety criteria, as well as being found to have a similar nutritional value to conventionally farmed salmon.
The salmon is only allowed to be raised in specific facilities in Canada and Panama, with FDA oversight.
The FDA studied how the fish would affect its environment but decided the fish “would not have a significant impact on the environment of the United States”. Environmental groups, on the other hand, have argued that the safety studies undertaken were inadequate and fear how wild salmon populations would be affected if any engineered fish were to escape and possibly breed with those living free in oceans and rivers.
The FDA also said it would not require companies to label genetically modified food.
AquaBounty’s extensive containment system makes it “extremely unlikely that the fish could escape and establish themselves in the wild”, the agency says. The FDA has jurisdiction over genetically modified plants and animals because the recombinant DNA that is introduced into them meets the definition of a drug.
“I am absolutely livid at the FDA’s announcement to approve genetically engineered “salmon”- this is nothing more than frankenfish”. In fact, they have stated that the environment may actually benefit from the sale and consumption of genetically modified salmon.
Friends of the Earth says more than 60 grocery store chains have already promised not to sell the fish – including Safeway, Kroger, Target, Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, Aldi and many others. But the agency said Thursday the fish is safe to eat.
AquAdvantage Salmon was created by AquaBounty. There are also barriers in the tanks and plumbing that carry water out of the facilities to prevent the escape of eggs and fish. She called the FDA’s approval “potentially disastrous” and said she will swiftly push legislation to mandate labeling of the modified fish.
“There have been a couple of approvals for genetically engineered animals that produce pharmaceutical products and their milk – goats and rabbits – but this is actually the first one that’s intended for the dinner plate rather than a medical use”.
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Other groups pointed out that under current laws, manufacturers of the modified salmon are not required to label the fish differently.
