No labeling needed on Genetically Engineered Salmon

Companies can voluntarily label the salmon as genetically modified, or GM, but they don’t have to, the Food and Drug Administration said.

 

New York Times article

The AquAdvantage salmon, as it is known, is an Atlantic salmon.  It was developed by AquaBounty Technologies, which is now majority-owned by the Intrexon Corporation.The agency indicated that labeling would not be mandatory, a decision that is consistent with its position on foods made from genetically engineered crops, which is that genetic engineering in and of itself does not necessarily make a material change in the food.

The fish are supposed to be raised indoor to lessen the chances (emphasis added) that they will escape into the wild.

The approval could help other efforts to develop genetically modified animals. Scientists and biotechnology industry executives have complained that the long, unexplained delay in approving the salmon was a deterrent to the field. Several other attempts to develop genetically engineered animals for consumption, like a pig whose manure would be less polluting, have fallen by the wayside.

Now, however, there has been a surge of interest in developing new genetically altered farm animals and pets because new techniques, including one known as Crispr-Cas9, allow scientists to edit animal genomes rather than add genes from other species. That has made it far easier to create altered animals.

VLA Comment:  Years ago, I, the founder of VLA, approached the Kosher Rabbis in Chicago about Genetically Engineered food.  Questions I had…say, if a potato is genetically engineered with the gene of a chicken and sour cream was put on it…would it be Kosher?  The answer was that as long as you don’t see it with the “naked eye”…it is okay.  I said that I understand that the spirit of the law would indicate “innocence”.  But today we have microscopes and technology that allows us to know what the condition of the food is.  To no avail…the Kosher Rabbis stick to the letter of the law, not the Spirit.

Naming it Atlantic Salmon without labeling that it is GMO will have the buyers and customers confused.  They will charge a lower cost than “wild” Atlantic Salmon.  When the customer asks for Atlantic Salmon…will they get this one?  I hope they don’t call it wild Atlantic salmon because its parent is a wild salmon.

There is no such thing as “organic farm raised”.  Watch this video: