Now You Can Get Your FDA Approved GMO Frankenstein Salmon

Hurry, hurry, hurry, and get your “freshly” approved GMO Frankenstein salmon! The FDA has approved of the sale of the “AquAdvantage Salmon,” which is a genetically modified version of the Atlantic Salmon.

AquaBounty Technologies, a unit of Intrexon Corporation, has incorporated a growth hormone from the Chinook salmon into the Atlantic salmon, and a gene from the ocean pout that unlocks the growth hormone.

These modifications allow the genetically engineered (GE) salmon to grow at twice the rate of non-GE salmon. This GE fish will be the first GE fish or animal allowed by the FDA to enter the food system, and inevitably into the wildlife.

The FDA has determined that the AquAdvantage Salmon is as safe to consume as non-GMO salmon,^[1] for whatever assurances that is supposed to give. The FDA process for approving genetically engineered animals has been highly criticized for being inherently flawed and lenient.

The Food & Water Watch organization petitioned the FDA with evidence of glaring issues with the FDA’s review process of the hormone levels in the GE fish and it allergen potential.

The organization pointed out that the Aquabounty study the FDA reviewed only examined six GMO salmon, and they showed a 20 to 50 percent increase in risk of allergy.

Environmentalists are also concerned these GE fish will escape and mix with wild fish, but Aquabounty counters by saying the fish are all female and sterile.

In seeking approval for the sale of the GMO salmon Aquabounty has agreed to produce the fish on land-based fish farms. This all seems kind of Jurassic Park to me, and eventually these GMO salmon will end up contaminating the oceans.

A major issue for consumers who want to avoid buying this GMO salmon is the producers of the salmon are not required to label the salmon as being GMO.