A leading consumer magazine is condemning the U.S. Food and Drug Association (FDA)’s recent positive assessment of genetically-engineered salmon as “flawed and inadequate.”
Consumers Union, the advocacy and policy arm of Consumer Reports magazine, issued a recent statement blasting the FDA’s assessment that such salmon would be safe to eat.
“We are deeply concerned that the potential of these fish to cause allergic reactions has not been adequately researched,” said Michael Hansen, PhD, senior scientist with Consumers Union. “Further, there have been no safety testing of fish grown in Panama, where Aquabounty intends to raise the salmon. The health and safety of fish can be affected by growing conditions.”
Massachusetts-based firm AquaBounty has been waiting for FDA approval before it can begin producing engineered salmon for the general market.
In a statement, Hansen noted that the FDA bases a lot of its assessment on the assertion that the engineered salmon will be sterile females.
“However, FDA indicates that only 95 percent of the salmon may be sterile, and the rest fertile,” Hansen said. “When you are talking about millions of fish, even one percent comes to thousands of fish.”
Hansen said it would be hard for consumers to tell the difference, too, since most fish outside of a grocery store is not marked.
“While salmon is required by law to be labeled as to country of origin in supermarkets, this does not apply to fish markets or restaurants,” Hansen said. “While in supermarkets consumers could avoid fish from Panama, where this salmon will be grown, they will not have this ability when eating out or buying at a fish store.”
