Salmon Genetically Modified FDA Review – Would you eat salmon that were genetically altered to reach adulthood faster? The company named Aqua Bounty Technologies is placing their genetically altered salmon product, the first of its kind, in front of the US Food and Drug Administration. The eggs grow into full size in half the time that it takes a normal salmon. Experts have said that they expect the new salmon to pass inspection and arrive on the market sometime next year.
The eggs include a growth hormone from the Chinook salmon that allows them to grow more quickly. If approved, it will be the first time that a genetically altered animal has been sold openly in supermarkets.
Many expect that if it does pass, the company will be required to divulge via a warning label that the salmon was genetically altered which could slow the sales of the fish. The FDA previously ruled that the fish are safe for consumption, but did not say whether or not they would approve the fish to be sold.
A number of public interest groups have spoken out about the fish, saying that it should not be able to be sold to the general public. The argument is that we do not know the long term effects of eating the genetically altered fish, and that we might not find the true negative outcomes for quite some time.
“We don’t know whether they really are safe,” said Jaydee Hanson, a policy analyst at the Center for Food Safety.
