Anti-GMO Groups Pledge Legal Action to Block FDA Approval of GMO Salmon

The first genetically engineered animal approved for consumption could be on your dinner table within two years if anti-GMO groups do not succeed in their attempts to block it. After languishing in regulatory purgatory for almost 20 years, an Atlantic salmon whose genes have been tweaked to grow twice as fast and on less food as farm-raised conventional varieties, was approved by the Food and Drug Administration. Within minutes of the announced approval, the Center for Food Safety posted on its website that it was assembling a coalition of anti-GMO activists to try to block the decision. "The FDA has thoroughly analyzed and evaluated the data and information submitted by AquaBounty Technologies regarding AquAdvantage Salmon and determined that they have met the regulatory requirements for approval, including that food from the fish is safe to eat," said Bernadette Dunham, D.V.M., Ph.D., director of the FDA's Center for Veterinary Medicine, in a statement. "I am thrilled by the FDA action, and look forward to bringing AquAdvanage salmon to the market, The approval is a milestone for American science, and I believe will introduce the American consumer to a safe and sustainable salmon food product," Ronald Stotish, AquaBounty CEO, told me. The company issued a news news release, saying the fish is grown in an "environmentally responsible manner without damaging the ocean and other marine habitats."AquaAdvantage-salmon AquaBounty, producer of the AquAdvantage salmon, told me ...
Source: Science - The Huffington Post - Category: Science Source Type: news