America's Food and Drug's recent finding says that a genetically modified salmon poses no threat to the environment this according to the Washington Post.
A Massachusetts-based company is looking to introduce the modified salmon that grows twice as fast as the naturally bred Atlantic salmon, a fish that critics have dubbed "Frankenfish."
The United States consumes genetically modified vegetation but not animals, a fact that has some concerned but the Food and Drug Administration said that the altered salmon are "as safe as food from conventional Atlantic salmon."
According to The Post, food-safety activists, environmental groups and traditional salmon fishing industries are very much opposed to such a step and are part of a broader global struggle over the use of genetically modified foods.
Nations in Europe Union have banned some genetically modified foods outright and instituted tight labeling requirements on foods that contain modified ingredients. While nations like Russia, Japan and Peru have instituted restrictions on genetically altered foods.
The company responsible for breeding the super fish is AquAdvantage. The company has altered the Atlantic salmon by using a growth hormone found in the Chinook salmon and attracting a gene from the oceanic pout, an eel-like fish.
According to The Post, under the company's proposal, no modified salmon would actually be produced in America. The eggs would be produced at a facility on Prince Edward Island in Canada and shipped to another facility in Panama, where they would be harvested and processed.
The FDA assessment has given the company the green light to start introducing the fish onto the market.
"We're encouraged by this milestone, and we're grateful that they've elected to continue a science-based process," Ronald Stotish, president of AquaBounty Technologies, said in an interview. "We think this is progress."
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