FDA set to decide on genetically engineered salmon

The Food and Drug Administration is set to make a final decision on whether genetically engineered salmon is fit for commercial production. If approved, the salmon would be the first genetically modified animal to enter the food chain.

Meanwhile, the Obama administration recently awarded a 500,000 dollar research grant to the Aquabounty corporation - which is currently developing genetically modified salmon, trout, and tilapia. The infusion of cash essentially saves the company from financial collapse. FSRN’s Alice Ollstein has more.

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The grant money will go specifically towards Aquabounty’s research on how to render their fish sterile—in order to prevent them from interbreeding with fish in the wild. But many are questioning why the government is giving grants to a financially risky venture in the wake of the Solyndra solar company’s failure, and whether approval of more genetically engineered foods is in the best interest of consumers and the environment.

On Monday, Alaska Democrat Mark Begich introduced a bill that would ban the interstate commerce of what he calls ‘frankenfish,’ and even prohibit the production with intent to sell across state lines.

BEGICH: It seems ridiculous that we would go into an area of basically fake fish that the FDA really doesn’t have the knowledge—it’s why they’ve delayed almost a year from when we brought this concern up last fall. We said, ‘This is a problem’ and they still haven’t decided because I think they realized there’s a lot more to this then they thought on the front.

Begich, along with Alaska Republican Lisa Murkowski, also filed an amendment to the 2012 Agriculture Appropriations bill that would prohibit the FDA from using taxpayer dollars to approve the application for engineered fish. Begich said his constituents are worried about possible harm to the state’s natural fisheries:

BEGICH: We have Frankenfish. We don’t want the Bride of Frankenfish.

Food Democracy Now founder Dave Murphy agrees.

MURPHY: This will be a colossal mistake for the FDA and the Obama administration. This will be one for the history books.

Murphy is also pushing the FDA to mandate that all genetically modified foods be labeled, so that consumers can make informed choices.

MURPHY: People have a basic, fundamental right to know what’s in their food and how it’s produced.

It’s a sentiment President Obama expressed back on the campaign trail, at a speech in Iowa in 2007.

OBAMA: Here’s what I’ll do as President. I’ll immediately implement country of origin labeling, because Americans should know where their food comes from. We’ll let folks know whether their food has been genetically modified, because Americans should know what they’re buying.

Food Democracy Now hopes to pressure the President to stick to his word, and issue an executive order to the FDA. He says Congress should also pass legislation on mandatory labeling, though the current gridlock would make that avenue slow-going. And while the U.S. approves more and more genetically modified foods, Murphy says it falls behind the rest of the world on transparency.

MURPHY: Already, 50 countries across the world including Brazil, Australia, the European Union, Russia and even China allow labeling of genetically engineered foods. Unfortunately, the United States does not, because of the power and the collusion of big agro-business with the federal agencies.

The FDA ruled last year that genetically modified fish was safe to eat, and may rule in the coming weeks that IT is safe for Aquabounty to produce and sell commercially. But the company still needs the go-ahead from the Canadian government to grow the fish eggs at its facility on Prince Edward Island, and that may be more of an uphill battle.

The Vancouver Sun obtained internal records from Canada’s environmental agency that reveal strong concerns about the potential threat to the country’s wild fish population.  And a study from Canada’s Memorial University of Newfoundland warns that-quote- "little is known about the potential impact on wild salmon populations if the GM species were to escape captivity."

Alice Ollstein, FSRN, Washington, D.C.