The Farmer's Daughter USA

Hi, I'm Amanda! My family farms corn and soybeans in Southwest Michigan. I'm also a practicing attorney.

  • Home
  • Blog
  • Work with Me
    • Speaking
    • Giveaways
    • Social Media Consulting
    • Sponsored and Guest Posts
  • About Me
    • Media
    • Terms of Use

FDA Approves GMO Salmon – Here’s What You Need to Know

December 3, 2015

On November 19, 2015, the Food and Drug Administration announced:

After an exhaustive and rigorous scientific review, FDA has arrived at the decision that AquAdvantage salmon is as safe to eat as any non-genetically engineered (GE) Atlantic salmon, and also as nutritious.

In a historic step, the FDA approved AquaBounty Technologies’ AquAdvantage Salmon for commercial sale. The AquAdvantage Salmon is the first GMO animal to earn such approval. You can read the full announcement and accompanying documents here.

So, what does this mean for consumers and should you be concerned?

Why Modify a Fish?

The market for salmon has exploded! Today, the consumption of salmon is three times higher than it was in the 1980’s. In the last decade, the demand for salmon has increased 20%. As you might imagine, this market increase has spurred the development and growth of aquaculture, or fish farms. In fact, 70% of the global salmon market is now supplied by aquaculture. The United States, the largest market for farmed salmon, consumed 353,000 tons of of it in 2013.

For years, environmental groups have decried the impact of farmed salmon. (Ironically, as I’ll discuss below, these groups are still opposed to a the AquAdvantage salmon.) The World Wildlife Foundation went so far as to create an entire list of things it demanded the industry to do clean up their act. The concerns include allowing genetically inferior fish to escape, increasing the risk of parasites and disease for wild salmon, inefficient rates of feed conversion (it used to take 7 pounds of food to raise 1 pound of salmon), and pollution.

To be fair, even environmental activist groups like the WWF agree that farmed salmon’s impact on the environment is drastically decreasing. Also, I certainly don’t mean to beat up on aquaculture at all. Just like other farmers, fish farmers no doubt realize that preserving natural resources are vital for them to continue their business. It also speaks volumes that the environmental impact of aquaculture is getting better.

But what I do know is that, just like in other areas of agriculture, science can help us improve our production methods and biotechnology can help us be better stewards of the environment. That’s exactly what happened here.

The AquAdvantage fish was genetically modified to grow faster, which allows it to arrive on market faster, saving resources and reducing the impact on the environment. This was achieved by inserting growth promotion genes from the Chinook salmon, which allows it to grow faster. It also included a gene from the fish known as an ocean pout that makes sure the gene from the Chinook salmon is active. As Eric Hallerman, fish conservation scientist at Virginia Tech University, explained to Wired, the regular salmon’s growth hormones turn off during the winter months. Inserting the growth hormone from the ocean pout ensures that the gene is always working.

Is It Safe?

Generally, any genetically modified crops that make it to market take a long time and a lot of research. In fact, GMOs are usually reviewed by several federal government agencies for about a decade, with millions of dollars of research being conducted.

The difference with the AquAdvantage salmon is that it was reviewed by the FDA for 20 years!

That’s right, the fish was originally submitted to the FDA for approval in the early 1990’s. Part of the reason it took so long was that the FDA didn’t really have a system in place for reviewing safety of a GMO animal; it had only looked at plants before. However, the other side of the story was that the FDA wanted to consider all of the environmental concerns about the fish as well, including what happens if they escape (more on this in a second).

Let’s first consider the safety of the fish. The FDA has concluded that food derived from the AdquAdvantage salmon is just as safe to eat as food from non-GE Atlantic salmon. Also, the FDA determined that the GMO salmon’s nutritional profile is comparable to that of a non-GE farm-raised Atlantic salmon. The FDA’s review included evaluation of “extensive data” submitted both by AquaBounty Technologies and other peer-reviewed data. Upon completing their review of the research, the FDA concluded:

The data demonstrated that the inserted genes remained stable over several generations of fish, that food from the GE salmon is safe to eat by humans and animals, that the genetic engineering is safe for the fish, and the salmon meets the sponsor’s claim about faster growth.

So, the GMO salmon is safe for human consumption, safe for the fish, and actually does what AquaBounties says it does. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise – the FDA had plenty of research, studies, and data regarding the AquAdvantage Salmon to review before it made this decision.

As mentioned, another concern is what happens to wild fish if these GMO fish escape. This is one of the things that took the FDA so long to sort out, and many containment efforts have been put in place. The FDA announcement stated:

FDA assessed the environmental impacts of approving this application and found that the approval would not have a significant impact on the environment of the United States. That’s because the multiple containment measures the company will use in the land-based facilities in Panama and Canada make it extremely unlikely that the fish could escape and establish themselves in the wild.

In other words, AquAdvantage has gone to some pretty significant lengths to ensure that this will not happen! In fact, there are currently only 2 production facilities that are approved for GMO salmon, and part of that choice had to do with preventing these fish from making it into the wild. At Biology Fortified, Anastasia Bodnar has wonderfully detailed and explained these containment efforts, which include biological, physical, and environmental containment efforts.

You can see the full environmental risk assessment submitted to the FDA for AquAdvantage here.

Opposition Loud and Boisterous

Smear campaigns against the gmo salmon have been long, long in the making. Dubbed the “Frankenfish” by activists, campaigns have been underway for years to petition the FDA to not approve the fish and, in the alternative, pressure retailers to not sell it. As a result, Costco has declared that it will not sell the the GMO fish at this time, which could hit supermarket shelves within two years. Other retailers, including Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, Target, and Kroger have also said they will not sell the AquAdvantage Salmon.

In addition, a lawsuit has already been filed against the FDA by the Center for Food Safety, a well-funded organization opposed to genetically modified foods, allegedly based on concerns about the health and safety of the fish and worries the fish could escape into the wild. Again, however, the FDA and AquAdvantage have taken lengthy steps to prevent this from happening and to protect wild fish populations. The FDA also reviewed the effects on the fish itself, and found none that were detrimental.

It always amazes me that the same claims are always repeated time and time again, despite a lack of evidence and despite having any merit. The Center for Food Safety laments that there hasn’t been enough testing, but the FDA just performed “an exhaustive and rigorous scientific review.” What seems even more a mystery to me is that, over the course of 20 years, none of the anti-GMO activists managed to put together a single scientific study showing that the fish was detrimental to human health or the environment. If they’re so convinced that it’s dangerous or bad (based on what?), how about just submit to the FDA a study demonstrating that? Such a move would have prevented any and all approval by the FDA.

It’s no coincidence that, instead, they decided to focus on petitioning retailers and drumming up opposition in the public. Again, this isn’t about science, food safety, or the environment to them; this is about ending the use of biotechnology because it suits their financial interests.

On the other hand, I am excited for this prospect. It brings with it a potential for more sustainable practices in animal agriculture, innovative solutions to unique problems in third world countries, and a comprehensive process for FDA approval for genetically modified animals. The fish should be on the market within 2 years…and I can’t wait to try it!

signature
Share this:
«
»

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: animal agriculture, education, environment, FDA, federal government, food safety, GMO, regulations, science, truth

Comments

  1. rork says

    December 3, 2015 at 1:15 pm

    Pretty good, except maybe some details about the modification. I believe it is a Chinook growth hormone gene (it codes for a protein, it’s not a steroid hormone) with the promoter sequence from the ocean pout’s antifreeze protein gene placed in front of it (to make the Chinook gene “stay on”). It’s not a growth hormone gene from ocean pout, and most people would not call it a gene, just a promoter sequencer. I’ve been reviewing some articles about these fish today, and pretty much every article gets some detail wrong, including Dec 1 NYT editorial saying “genes are injected” in Ontario (that only happened once-upon-a-time, no need to do it again).
    Oh, maybe another thing: It would be pretty hard to demonstrate the genetic danger is very great – you’d need to get ahold of the fish first, which might be hard, and it would take a ton of money.

    Finally what I’ve been seeing from the worriers is only an argument for democracy that goes “if everyone wants GMOs labeled, we should do it” – but not addressing if it’s a good idea. If the people demanded all fish be labeled with the day of the week of their capture (because of astrology, or Sabbath concerns), does that make it a good idea? I’m more scared of the dangers of net-pen farm-raised salmon – they escape rather regularly. Even some wild-caught salmon stocks are augmented by stocking, which caries genetic risks. Disclaim: I am an avid angler, and do human genetics, and have worried about fish population genetics for a long time.

  2. egeneh says

    December 3, 2015 at 5:51 pm

    The ink on the report wasn’t dry when I got a warning message from Consumer Reports about the “frankenfish.” It is really disgusting that an organization with a good record in objectively evaluating the safety and efficiency of manufactured goods has gone so far ’round the bend on food and environmental issues. And with never a science-based foundation for its condemnation of the biotechnology it disparages. I have considered cancelling my subscription, of course, but then how would I know just what garbage they are distributing?

Hi, I'm Amanda. My family farms corn and soybeans in Southwest Michigan. I'm an attorney and I'm passionate about agriculture!

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Subscribe via Email

Archives

Latest on Facebook

The Farmer's Daughter

4 days ago

The Farmer's Daughter

Fear-based marketing isn't ok, regardless of whether it comes from radical environmental groups or farmers.

... See MoreSee Less

Good products sell themselves; fear doesn't need to be an ingredient | AGDAILY

www.agdaily.com

Social media posts from direct-to-consumer beef producers show photos of their product purportedly next to store-bought beef and make nutrition claims.

View on Facebook

·
Share



Share on Facebook



Share on Twitter



Share on Linked In



Share by Email

The Farmer's Daughter

4 days ago

The Farmer's Daughter

Had to break for the snow earlier this week. But back at it and making progress.

... See MoreSee Less


Photo

View on Facebook

·
Share



Share on Facebook



Share on Twitter



Share on Linked In



Share by Email

The Farmer's Daughter

7 days ago

The Farmer's Daughter

As many of you know, I'm passionate about the mission of Cultivate Food Rescue. Last year, because of the collaboration of volunteers and donors, Cultivate was able to fill 55,527 backpacks with weekend meals for school kids, and provide 1,623,018 meals to others in our communities. In doing so, it rescued thousands and thousands of pounds of perishable food. On this Giving Tuesday, please consider donating to Cultivate's mission.No neighbor hungry. No food wasted.

... See MoreSee Less

Donate

cultivatefoodrescue.com

Donate No Neighbor Hungry, No Food Wasted Donate Now Transform Lives Through the Gift of Giving Your contribution, whether big or small, has the power to uplift communities, catalyze progress, and cre...

View on Facebook

·
Share



Share on Facebook



Share on Twitter



Share on Linked In



Share by Email

The Farmer's Daughter

1 week ago

The Farmer's Daughter

These commercials from Perdue were ALL OVER the TV this past holiday weekend. Did you see them?

... See MoreSee Less

Perdue Sells Alarmism Over Antibiotic Use - The Farmer's Daughter USA

thefarmersdaughterusa.com

Perdue is selling alarmism of its biggest competitor's use of antibiotics. So what's going on here?

View on Facebook

·
Share



Share on Facebook



Share on Twitter



Share on Linked In



Share by Email

The Farmer's Daughter

2 weeks ago

The Farmer's Daughter

Happy Thanksgiving!I realized this morning that it's been 20 years since I performed in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. What a trip!I hope you and yours have a lovely day! 🦃

... See MoreSee Less


Photo

View on Facebook

·
Share



Share on Facebook



Share on Twitter



Share on Linked In



Share by Email

Latest on Instagram

thefarmersdaughterusa

Amanda | The Farmer's Daughter USA
I'm a proud farmer's daughter & advocate for modern agriculture. U.S. farmers are leaders in sustainability.

Amanda Zaluckyj
Just a reminder. #agriculture #usagriculture #far Just a reminder.

#agriculture #usagriculture #farmers #usfarmers #farming #farmfamilies #sustainableag #sustainableagriculture #sustainable #sustainability #farmerscare #homegrown #localagriculture #knowyourfarmer #shoplocal #madeintheusa #madeintheus #americanagriculture
Happy Thanksgiving! I realized this morning that Happy Thanksgiving!

I realized this morning that it's been 20 years since I performed in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. What a trip!

I hope you and yours have a lovely day! 🦃
Honestly, what is she even doing?? #Mischa #dogsl Honestly, what is she even doing??

#Mischa
#dogslife
She's got me. #dogslife #onlyfurbaby #naptime She's got me. 

#dogslife #onlyfurbaby #naptime
Some of you see this picture and appreciate the vi Some of you see this picture and appreciate the view. Our grain cart driver (mom) just sees that scary hill to drive up. 🫣

 #farming #sustainableag #agriculture #sustainableagriculture #farmers #sustainableagriculturepractices #sustainable #agriculturelife #agricultureeducation #farm #farmer #harvest23🌾
Happy Halloween! I dressed up as an attorney today Happy Halloween! I dressed up as an attorney today. 🤣

Oh, lawyer jokes. Listen, if you can't make fun or yourself and have a little fun, what are you even doing?
It's true. My puppy. 💜💜 It's true. My puppy. 💜💜
The first 25 acres of soybeans are done! But the b The first 25 acres of soybeans are done! But the beans still have very high moisture content. It's so high the granary won't accept them. So we'll have to dry them.

The big concern with soybeans is that the pods won't pop open. If that happens, they'll be discarded  out the back of the combine with the other plant material. Obviously not what we want to happen. After testing a bit, enough were opening that we felt like we should just get started.

Slow going, but at least it's going!

 #farming #sustainableag #agriculture #sustainableagriculture #farmers #sustainableagriculturepractices #sustainable #agriculturelife #agricultureeducation #farm #farmer #fearfree #cleanfood #foodsafety #dietfads #FactsNotFear #cleaneatingdiet #foodlabels #truth #cleaneating #Harvest2023
We're still not harvesting yet. Why not? Moisture We're still not harvesting yet. Why not? Moisture content.

We're currently about 4 weeks behind. But we can't start because our crops are still too wet. The moisture content is the amount of water in each kernel or soybean. If there's too much, they can spoil in storage. If it's really too high, then combine has a hard time handling it.

For corn, the sweet spot is about 15%. We have a dryer system on the farm that can help finish the kernels to the correct moisture level. But the dryer takes a lot of energy to run, so its cost prohibitive if the moisture content is too high. And if we try to sell the crop when it's too wet, we'll take a price hit at the grain elevator. So either the granary dries it, we dry it, or Mother Nature dries it. Right now, it's still too wet for after-harvest drying.

The other complication is that IT. JUST. KEEPS. RAINING. That doesn't help because the corn doesn't have a chance to dry out, and it maintains that moisture. We need some warm, dry days to speed up the process.

So, for now, we're still waiting...

#harvest23
Load More... Follow on Instagram

Copyright © 2023 · Website Design By Jumping Jax Designs