Genetically engineered salmon faces upstream battle - Rawan For Media Artistic and Production
It
is a controversial decision that got buried in all the talk of
terrorism in the wake of the November 13 attacks in Paris that left 130
people dead.
But
plenty of people noticed and debated the US food safety regulator's
move last week to allow a company to sell genetically engineered salmon
to customers.
And now, the decision on how to label it is just as controversial.
Starting
Tuesday, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will open the door
for the public to weigh in on how to label salmon that has been
genetically engineered.
Last
Thursday, the FDA ruled that it is. It is the first time they have
given the okay to eat an animal that has been tinkered with by
scientists.
Inside Story Americas: GM Foods - Do we know enough?
The
decision will allow AquaBounty Technologies, a company with offices in
Massachusetts and Prince Edward Island, to market its salmon in stores.
AquaBounty
farms its fish and says it grows the salmon faster and cheaper without
exploiting the ocean. But critics, like the Center for Food Safety
(CFS), argue genetically engineered (GE) food is dangerous to public
health.
They plan to fight the FDA's decision in court but have yet to file the paperwork.
The issue of labelling is just as controversial.
According
to the FDA, AquaBounty will not be required to label its salmon as
genetically engineered because they only require labelling "if there is a
material difference - such as a different nutritional profile".
In the AquaBounty case, they "did not find any such differences".
Instead, they are asking AquaBounty to voluntarily label their product.
As
a result, Jaydee Hanson, from the CFS, calls the public comment period
on labelling a sham and "a shameful make work project on the part of
FDA".
Three
major US stores - Target, Whole Foods and Costco - confirmed to Al
Jazeera that they will not be selling the salmon when it becomes
available.
Source: Al Jazeera
is a controversial decision that got buried in all the talk of
terrorism in the wake of the November 13 attacks in Paris that left 130
people dead.
But
plenty of people noticed and debated the US food safety regulator's
move last week to allow a company to sell genetically engineered salmon
to customers.
And now, the decision on how to label it is just as controversial.
Starting
Tuesday, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will open the door
for the public to weigh in on how to label salmon that has been
genetically engineered.
Last
Thursday, the FDA ruled that it is. It is the first time they have
given the okay to eat an animal that has been tinkered with by
scientists.
Inside Story Americas: GM Foods - Do we know enough?
The
decision will allow AquaBounty Technologies, a company with offices in
Massachusetts and Prince Edward Island, to market its salmon in stores.
AquaBounty
farms its fish and says it grows the salmon faster and cheaper without
exploiting the ocean. But critics, like the Center for Food Safety
(CFS), argue genetically engineered (GE) food is dangerous to public
health.
They plan to fight the FDA's decision in court but have yet to file the paperwork.
The issue of labelling is just as controversial.
According
to the FDA, AquaBounty will not be required to label its salmon as
genetically engineered because they only require labelling "if there is a
material difference - such as a different nutritional profile".
In the AquaBounty case, they "did not find any such differences".
Instead, they are asking AquaBounty to voluntarily label their product.
As
a result, Jaydee Hanson, from the CFS, calls the public comment period
on labelling a sham and "a shameful make work project on the part of
FDA".
Three
major US stores - Target, Whole Foods and Costco - confirmed to Al
Jazeera that they will not be selling the salmon when it becomes
available.
Source: Al Jazeera
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