The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the first genetically engineered animal for food use in November. The AquAdvantage salmon is a form of Atlantic salmon developed by AquaBounty Technologies of Massachusetts. The approval represents a new front on the battle between agricultural companies hoping to bring new technologies to improve food yields to market and natural food activists who want genetically modified organism food products to be labeled or limited.GMO foods were first introduced to the U.S. market in 1994. The Calgene company developed the Flavr Savr tomato. The tomato’s genes were designed to ripen on the vine, but not go soft before reaching the market. The company introduced a gene sequence from a strain of bacteria to reduce the effect of the enzymes that cause the cells of tomato fruits to break down and become soft. The tomato flopped commercially and was taken off the market in 1997. Monsanto later acquired Calgene.Food products made from transgenic modification, or by artificially combining genes from species that could never breed in nature, can allow farmers and producers to increase yields and produce more food and in close proximity to consumers, according to proponents. Since the Flavr Savr tomato, transgenic or bioengineered corn, soy, canola, cotton, potato and several other staple crops have been developed and marketed.ìAquAdvantage Salmon is a game-changer that brings healthy and nutritious food to consumers in an environmentally responsible manner, without damaging the ocean and other marine habitats,î said Ronald Stotish, AquaBounty chief executive officer, in a Nov. 19 company press release. ìUsing land-based aquaculture systems, this rich source of protein and other nutrients can be farmed close to major consumer markets in a more sustainable manner.îOpponents of unlabeled GMO food products are skeptical of the company and FDA’s statements that the GMO fish are equivalent to natural salmon. ìAsk yourself, why am I eating salmon?î said Christina Major, a nutritionist and the owner of Crystal Holistic Health Consulting in Trevorton, Pennsylvania. ìIs it because it tastes good? Has omega-3 fatty acids? An alternative to red meat? GMO salmon are designed to grow fast, not be nutritious or healthy.îThe AquAdvantage salmon required FDA approval because the recombinant DNA introduced into the animal meets the federal definition of a drug. The salmon reaches market size more quickly than non-GMO Atlantic salmon. Growth-regulating genes from Pacific salmon and ocean pout (fish) were combined with the genes of farm-raised Atlantic salmon to create the new species.AquaBounty has been working on the new salmon for about 20 years and has raised 10 generations of the breed before getting FDA approval. ìThe 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,î said Bernadette Dunham, director of the FDAís Center for Veterinary Medicine in the approval announcement.The comparison to farm-raised salmon, rather than wild-caught salmon is a major concern for nutritionist Dr. Scott Schreiber of Newark, Delaware. ìAs it is now, farm-raised fish are fed a corn-based product; as a result, they are less healthy and contain less nutrients than the wild caught equivalent,î Schreiber said.Another concern that the anti-GMO activists raise is the potential for the new breed of salmon to be accidentally released into the wild, and then contaminate the gene pool of wild salmon or out-compete them for food and breeding opportunities. ìGMOs have a very poor track record for being contained,î Major said. ìIn fact, every GMO crop has escaped containment. It’s reasonable that a GMO salmon could as well.îIf fertile eggs or adult GMO fish were released, they could theoretically pass the growth traits on to their wild offspring. ìThese GMO salmon are designed to grow very fast and feed heavily,î Major said. ìIf even one escaped to the wild, it could possibly pass this trait onto other fish. Salmon that grow too big to make it to the ocean die in the streams. If they feed too heavily, they could endanger the rest of the fish and amphibian populations through starvation.îAquaBounty points out that in studies their salmon have a much lower breeding success rate than wild salmon; their production strains are effectively sterile; and only females will be marketed. The FDA approval does not permit the modified fish to be produced in the United States. The salmon will be raised at inland farms in Canada and Panama.Despite FDA approval, grocery stores and restaurants have a choice in sourcing their seafood and whether to carry the AquAdvantage salmon. Costco, Safeway, Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, Target, Kroger have announced they will not carry the salmon.Cafeterias, restaurants and other food service vendors might choose to carry the salmon without passing along country-of-origin information or genetically engineered status under current law. ìThe bottom line is that if we do not know the impact of genetically changing our food supply,î Schreiber said. ìYou can call it whatever you want, but it is still genetically modified and needs to say that on the label.î
