AquaBounty GMO salmon to be reviewed by FDA

Posted On: August 27, 2010

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has said its Veterinary Medicine Advisory Committee will meet on September 19 and 20 to discuss the possible commercialization of genetically engineered salmon.

AquaBounty of Waltham, Massachusetts says it has developed salmon that have been genetically modified to reach market size in half the time of traditional salmon – a trait that could help feed a growing global population and protect dwindling fish stocks, the company claims.

If the Veterinary Medicine Advisory Committee (VMAC) decides that the fish are fit for human consumption, it would be the first animal produced through genetic engineering to be approved. Some environmentalists and scientists have said they see this as a watershed case, with the result likely to either pave the way for further genetic engineering of food animals or discourage its use.

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