A genetically engineered animal was approved by U.S. regulators for the first time, allowing AquaBounty Technologies Inc. to begin marketing its faster-growing salmon — a creation critics have dubbed “Frankenfish.”
The Food and Drug Administration cleared AquAdvantage Salmon, which has added genes that allows the fish to more quickly expand to produce more flesh for human consumption. It’s a victory for AquaBounty after a two-decade struggle to be able to sell the animal to farmers.
The FDA “determined that they have met the regulatory requirements for approval, including that food from the fish is safe to eat,” said Bernadette Dunham, director of the FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine. Shares of Intrexon Corp., which holds a 58 percent stake in AquaBounty, rose 10 percent to $38.99 at 11:15 a.m. in New York.
The decision is also part of an effort by the FDA to adapt to the rapidly changing world of genetically modified food. The agency also released guidelines Thursday for food companies that want to label their plant-derived products either as genetically engineered or as containing no genetically engineered ingredients. Food manufacturers aren’t required to label their products with the information but can do so voluntarily.
In the new guidelines, the FDA relies on the term “food derived from genetically engineered plants,” rather than “genetically modified” or “genetically modified organism,” though it won’t take action against companies that use the acronym “GMO.”
Heated Topic
Selling genetically modified plants and animals as food has been, at times, a controversial topic. Consumer groups, including Consumers Union and Food and Water Watch, have pushed for labeling of genetically modified foods, which they don’t agree has been proven safe. Supporters have said the products can help reduce hunger by being more productive and resistant to disease. Companies including Monsanto Co., Dow Chemical Co. and Syngenta AG make genetically modified seeds for food production, according to the group Food and Water Watch. Altered crops include pesticide-resistant soybeans, extra-nutritious rice and apples that don’t brown.
The FDA won’t require food made with the genetically engineered salmon to be labeled. If consumers want to avoid it, they can choose wild-caught salmon, the FDA said on a conference call with reporters Thursday.
“AquAdvantage Salmon is a game-changer that brings healthy and nutritious food to consumers in an environmentally responsible manner without damaging the ocean and other marine habitats,” AquaBounty Chief Executive Officer Ronald Stotish said in a statement.
The FDA determined the salmon is as safe to eat and as nutritious as other non-altered Atlantic salmon. and the gene engineering is safe for the fish. The AquAdvantage Salmon must be raised only in land-based, contained hatchery tanks in two specific facilities in Canada and Panama, the FDA said. It isn’t allowed to be bred or raised in the U.S., and the salmon are sterile, so if they do escape, they can’t breed with wild fish.
To contact the reporter on this story: Anna Edney in Washington at aedneybloomberg.net To contact the editors responsible for this story: Crayton Harrison at tharrison5bloomberg.net Drew Armstrong
