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GMO Salmon? What Next?

Posted on by Paula Gallagher

I don't think you should mess with nature. We have more than enough food on this planet to feed everyone thousands of times over, yet we still believe that tampering with nature is going to help with food quality and quantity. AquaBounty Technologies announced that they have genetically engineered a faster-growing Atlantic farm salmon that they want to make available in grocery stores. The FDA has just concluded 2 days of hearings to try to determine if this "frankenfish" is safe. For the time being, permission has not been granted to proceed, as the FDA is asking for more research. But we surely have not heard the end of this.

There has been much resistance to allowing GMO fish to enter our food supply. Some arguments include:

1. Genetically altered salmon will not have to be labeled as GMO. If AquaBounty Technologies can prove that it's "safe," the FDA would require no further labeling.

2. AquaBounty and their advocates can't prove that it is safe in the long run. GMO salmon could have a big impact at both environmental and human levels.

3. Farmed salmon in general have been found to be less safe to eat than wild caught salmon, as they have a higher concentration of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) from the concentrated fish meal used to create their feed.

Weigh in. How do you feel about GMO foods?

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