The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced in a press release that they are approving AquaBounty Technologies’ application for the AquaAdvantage Salmon, a genetically engineered Atlantic salmon that reaches market size quickly than the not genetically engineered farm-raised Atlantic salmon.
Advertisement
Genetically modified salmon, which contains growth hormone genes from eel and other types of salmon, grows faster and larger than normal fish.
“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”, said Ronald Stotish, Ph.D., the CEO of AquaBounty Technologies, the company that developed the GE Atlantic salmon. They worry it could cause human allergies and the eventual decimation of the natural salmon population if it escapes into the wild.
The F.D.A. has issued a draft guidance on the voluntary labeling that indicates whether or not food has been derived from genetically engineered Atlantic salmon.
What may concern a few is the lack of any requirement to label AquaBounty’s salmon as genetically modified.
AquaBounty, the MA company that developed the AquAdvantage salmon, says its fish will be raised in a limited number of land-based tanks.
The FDA detailed its decision in a statement on Thursday, saying it regulates modified animals such as this salmon under the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act because the animals – specifically, the rDNA added to them – is designated as a drug.
Several retailers, including Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, Target, and Kroger, have said they are not planning to sell AquAdvantage Salmon.
One of the requirements that the genetically engineered fish needs to meet is that the food coming from it is safe to eat.
“The review process by FDA was inadequate, failed to fully examine the likely impacts of the salmon’s introduction, and lacked a comprehensive analysis”.
The FDA will maintain regulatory oversight over the production and facilities, and will conduct inspections to confirm that adequate physical containment measures remain in place.
Advertisement
Proponents of the idea of GM salmon are stating that there are scientific studies that mark the salmon as safe, but many are still actively against the idea.
