The Food and Drug Administration has approved the first genetically engineered animal in the United States--a new type of Atlantic salmon.
In a statement, the agency said it has determined through “an exhaustive and rigorous scientific review” that the AquAdvantage salmon “is as safe to eat as any non-genetically engineered (GE) Atlantic salmon, and also as nutritious.”
The agency said it reviewed data from the manufacturer, AquaBounty Technologies, and other peer-reviewed data, and came to the conclusion that the inserted genes remain stable over multiple generations of fish, that the food is safe to eat by humans and animals, and that the genetic engineering is safe for the fish.
It also said there won’t be a significant environmental impact in the U.S. “because the multiple containment measures the company will use in the land-based facilities in Panama and Canada make it extremely unlikely that the fish could escape and establish themselves in the wild.”
The salmon has been genetically engineered to grow twice as fast as regular salmon by inserting genes from Chinook salmon and ocean pout.
No labeling stating the salmon is GE will be required, because of its determined safety and nutritional equivalent to non-GE salmon, the agency said on its website. However, Alaska will require labeling because of its status as a top wild salmon producer.
The approval is the first GE animal for consumption in the United States. The first GE animal to receive approval was a line of GE goats that produced an anti-clotting protein in their milk, but the meat was not sold.
