The FDA found that the GMO salmon met the requirements for approval.
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Pictured is a genetically engineered AquAdvantage salmon (back) and non-modified sibling of the same age in front. AquaBounty CEO Ronald Stotish called the fish a “game changer” that will provide consumers with access to an affordable and sustainable way to get fish without harming the environment.
The new AquAdvantage salmon is a type of Atlantic salmon that features genes from Chinook salmon along with a gene switch from a sea animal called the ocean pout, to make it mature faster than normal salmon. The AquaBounty salmon is engineered to breed all-year round and grow twice as fast as an unmodified salmon.
Since 2010, the Obama administration has been reluctant to approve the fish, dubbed AquaAdvantage Salmon, for human consumption because of uncertainties over its safety. AquaBounty says that genetically modified salmon have the same flavor, texture, color and odor as the conventional fish.
Those in favor of fast-growing salmon- say the process can ensure these animals are disease-free, but opponents are asking retailers not to sell it.
He said all genetically-modified foods undergo a “rigorous safety assessment” and that summaries of assessments of those that are approved are available on the Health Canada website. And it’s still unclear whether the public will have an appetite for the fish.
The first genetically-altered animal cleared for you to eat may be on your dinner table within a few years. Although the potential benefits and profits are huge, a few people have ethical qualms about manipulating the genetic code of other living creatures.
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”. She claimed that the FDA’s decision opposed the wishes of many consumers, scientists, members of Congress, and salmon growers, according to The NY Times. Lawmakers from Alaska and the Pacific Northwest, where salmon fishing is a big industry, are also saying they will fight the approval.
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For example, non-GMO statements that would be OK with the agency include: “Not bioengineered;” “Not genetically modified through the use of modern biotechnology”, and “We do not use ingredients that were produced using modern biotechnology”, and “This oil is made from soybeans that were not genetically engineered”. The approval also doesn’t allow the salmon to be bred or raised in the United States for now, though FDA officials said the company could apply to have other production sites approved in the future.
