Soon there will be gene salmon available in the USA
After several years of testing, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has made a groundbreaking decision: In the future, genetically modified and thus faster growing salmon may be sold in the US. The gene salmon can be eaten without hesitation and is as safe as unchanged variants, the authority said in a statement.
This is the first time that a genetically modified animal has been released for consumption in the United States. A special labeling of the gene salmon packaging is not necessary, explained the FDA. The company AquaBounty Technologies had already applied for the approval of the fish in the 1990s, reports the New York Times.
For consumer organizations, the decision is not well - they want to take action against it. Some supermarket chains have already announced that they will not include the gene salmon in their assortment. Critics have given the gene-salmon a name with horror factor and warn that the "Frankenfisch" in humans could trigger allergies and reduce the natural salmon occurrence, should he get into the wild. The salmon grows twice as fast as a normal salmon, because it produces growth hormones throughout the year.
The manufacturer AquaBounty does not understand the excitement: The salmon will bring people healthy and nutritious food on the table, without the need for the oceans and the fish population would be affected, the company said.
The decision of the FDA gives the discussion about the planned TTIP free trade agreement between the US and the European Union a new impulse, because above all in Germany the potenzielle import of genetically modified US food in the criticism.
