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FDA approves GMO salmon; won’t require special labeling


By STEVE BINDER
Illinois Correspondent

WASHINGTON, D.C. — It has been more than two decades since a company first approached federal health officials about developing a genetically modified (GMO or GE) salmon, and while it has been an upstream fight to win the approval it received last week, there are numerous groups and retailers who still say they’ll boycott the fish.
Officials with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Thursday gave their OK for the retail sale of a GMO Atlantic salmon developed by the Massachusetts-based AquaBounty Technologies, the first such federal approval for an animal that has been DNA-engineered.
In a statement announcing the approval, the agency noted: “There are no biologically relevant differences in the nutritional profile of AquAdvantage Salmon compared to that of other farm-raised Atlantic salmon.”
It stated “food from the GE salmon is safe to eat by humans and animals” and “that the genetic engineering is safe for the fish.”
As the new fish also is “not different from what is available from nature” and “substantially equivalent” to Atlantic salmon, the FDA stated it would not need to be labeled as GMO fish, said William Muir, a genetics professor at Purdue University who supported the FDA’s decision.
Muir was one of about 80 scientists and biotech industry executives who last year sent a letter to President Barack Obama asking for administration support for the approval.
For Muir, pushing for the approval was a “no-brainer.”
He said there is “no credible evidence” after years of study that the fish poses any health risks. And, more importantly, the world’s food supply will force the development of similar food items because nature can’t keep up with the world’s population demand.
“The current practice of using wild-caught salmon as a food source is not sustainable; our oceans are overfished,” Muir said.
He noted AquaBounty’s fish is not only as nutritious as wild-caught salmon, in many instances it may even be healthier because of its fat content.
Alison Van Eenennaam, a biotechnology specialist at the University of California-Davis and a member of the FDA scientific evaluation team, also called the decision a “no-brainer.”
“Basically, nothing in the data suggested that these fish were in any way unsafe or different to the farm-raised salmon,” Eenennaam told The Associated Press.
But several consumer groups are livid the FDA cleared the way for the new fish to be labeled just as any other salmon would be labeled. And spokesmen for Kroger’s – the nation’s top grocery operator – Target and Whole Foods already have said their stores will not sell the fish.
It may be at least two years before consumers will be able to purchase this fish, nearly the time it takes for AquaBounty fish to mature.
Most farm-raised salmon take about three years to mature; AquaBounty’s mature in 16-18 months, less than half the time.
Researchers developed the fish by starting with an Atlantic salmon and adding a gene from a Pacific salmon species, along with a gene from the eel-like ocean pout that promotes the faster growth.
AquaBounty Chief Executive Ronald Stotish called his company’s development “a game-changer that brings healthy and nutritious food to consumers in an environmentally responsible manner without damaging the ocean and other marine habitats.”
Consumers Union, the advocacy arm of Consumer Reports magazine, blasted the FDA.
“We are deeply disappointed with the FDA’s decision to approve the AquAdvantage salmon,” said Michael Hansen, a senior scientist with the group. “And it’s even more concerning that the FDA chose not to require any form of labeling, making it extremely difficult for consumers to know if the salmon is GE or not.”
Muir predicted major retail chains now may say they won’t sell the salmon, but that could change.
“They’re saying that now because that’s what they think they need to say from a marketing standpoint. It’s a marketing ploy,” he added.
11/25/2015