The approval of the salmon – genetically altered to grow twice as fast as natural salmon – comes after years of debate and review, with the FDA finally announcing its finding that the fish is safe to eat.
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The AquAdvantage salmon, as it is known, is an Atlantic salmon that has been genetically modified so that it grows to market size faster than a conventionally farmed 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”.
The agency also said that there is also no biological difference in the nutritional profile of the genetically engineered salmon and the farm-raised one.
The FDA, though, agreed with the Massachusetts-based manufacturer AquaBounty, finding the fish pose little risk to the environment because they would be reared in closed, land-based facilities in Canada and Panama. It’s also the first approval from the FDA on a genetically engineered animal intended for food.
The NY Times adds that the approval of the AquaAdvantage Salmon has been opposed by a few consumers and environmental groups.
However, the FDA noted that 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”.
AquaBounty Technologies has first asked the FDA in the 1990s.
Companies can voluntarily label the salmon as genetically modified, or GM, but they don’t have to, the Food and Drug Administration said.
“We recognize that a few consumers are interested in knowing whether food ingredients are derived from GE sources”, said Susan Mayne, director of the FDA’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition.
The company used a growth hormone from the Pacific Chinook and enables the modified salmon to produce growth hormones throughout the year.
A few residents who hunt and fish in the Douglas County area say they prefer to catch their own.
“The science today seems to suggest that this genetically engineered salmon is no different than conventional salmon”, said the Center’s Director of Biotechnology Gregory Jaffe.
Alison Van Eenennaam, an animal geneticist at the University of California, Davis, said the FDA decision was “long overdue”.
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Perls says more than 60 grocery chains, including Whole Foods, Kroger, and Safeway, have already pledged not to carry the new salmon, she says.
