While the word "Frankenfish" sounds like something out of a horror movie it is actually just the term used for a brand of genetically modified salmon.
"Frankenfish" was banned in the U.S. but the FDA announced on Friday that it would be lifted and the GMO salmon would be be able to reach our shelves.
The FDA has original cleared AquaAdvantage salmon which is genetically engineered to grow year-round and ultimately reaching the market twice as fast as unmodified salmon in 2015, however in 2016 Congress passed a law mandating the formation of labeling guidelines informing customers that the fish was genetically modified as reported by CNN.
In December, the [U.S. Department of Agriculture] issued the standard, requiring manufacturers, importers and certain retailers to disclose whether a product was bioengineered using either text, a symbol, a electronic or digital link, and/or a text message.
On Friday, FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb said because of the 2016 law and the USDA’s standard, his agency “no longer has the authority to issue labeling guidance.”
“However, the FDA believes this Congressional mandate has been satisfied by the USDA’s issuance of final regulations implementing that law in late 2018 because the law and regulations require that human food containing GE salmon bear labeling indicating that it is bioengineered,” Gottlieb said in a statement.
-CNN
The company behind the GMO salmon has a fish farm in Albany, Indiana that was waiting on approval to begin importing fish eggs from another facility on Prince Edward Island in Canada. The FDA found that AquaAdvantage salmon pose no risk to human health and are healthy themselves, thus would have no impact on the environment. The fish have been designed to be exclusively female as well as sterile but is not always the case.
There is concern that the fish are able to escape and breed with unmodified salmon in the wild. Fishermen are fighting against the practice and the entrance of GMO salmon into the market. Also, the requirement to label the fish as "bioengineered" will not be enforced until 2020, and compliance not mandatory until 2022.
This salmon is the only GMO animal product approved by the FDA to be sold to humans but this means there are likely more to follow. According to reports, the Indiana farm expects to receive final certification and the salmon will take about 18 months to grow to a size of 10 pounds after arrival. The data is in about GMO foods. It is linked to 22 serious diseases in humans. Several studies link GMO consumption to infertility, immune impairments, accelerated aging, cholesterol synthesis impairments, insulin dysregulation, damage to cell signaling and protein formation with associated changes in the liver, kidney, spleen and gastrointestinal system.
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