World's first genetically modified salmon approved for sale; Taiwanese scholars call for no imports
After 20 years, the US Food and Drug Administration officially approved the marketing of genetically modified salmon yesterday, making it the world's first genetically modified food meat product to be marketed; it is expected to be available to eat in two years. Although the developer AquaBounty guarantees that the genetically modified salmon will not produce offspring and is safe for the human body, opponents believe it will affect salmon ecology; earlier, the second-largest retail supermarket chain in the United States, Safeway, had promised not to sell genetically modified salmon, while scholars in our country have called on the Food and Drug Administration not to approve the import of US genetically modified salmon.
With antifreeze genes introduced, genetically modified salmon farming time is halved
As early as 23 years ago, the US company AquaBounty developed genetically modified AquaAdvantage Salmon (AAS), literally translated into Chinese as "aquatic advantage salmon"; into the body of "Atlantic salmon" it introduced the genes of the world's largest "king salmon," as well as the antifreeze gene of the "ocean pout," overcoming the problem of slow growth in salmon because winters are too cold, shortening the time from farming to market from the original 24 to 30 months to 18 months, with an even larger body size.
However, public acceptance was not high, and the US Food and Drug Administration did not approve it for a long time; the product was stalled for nearly 20 years. The year before last, there was once word that the United States was about to approve it for marketing, and only yesterday was it officially announced as approved; major US media all reported on it at length, and the developer expects it to circulate on the market in two years.
AquaBounty claims that the genetically modified salmon is female only and will not produce offspring, and that the eggs are produced in Canada and then shipped to land-based closed water bodies in Panama for farming, with three layers of escape-prevention devices; even if they really escaped, they would die because the water temperature is too high, with little ecological impact.
AquaBounty chief executive Ron Stotish stressed that genetically modified salmon grow quickly and can provide a healthy and nutritious food source, avoiding the hunting of wild salmon and other marine life.
The US Food and Drug Administration believes that the growth rate of the genetically modified salmon is indeed the same as the developer says, and that the introduced genes are highly stable, while the multiple layers of escape-prevention mechanisms can also prevent the salmon from spilling into the wild environment; most importantly, "the food safety level of genetically modified salmon is the same as that of ordinary salmon," and therefore it allowed it to be marketed.
No labeling for genetically modified foods, US consumers push back
At present, all genetically modified products marketed worldwide for human consumption are plants, such as soybeans and corn. Genetically modified salmon has set the first example for food meat products, and since US genetically modified products do not need to be labeled, the public does not even have the right to choose when consuming them, drawing many voices of doubt.
Many people worry that the testing of genetically modified salmon is insufficient, and that once this precedent is set, genetically modified pigs, genetically modified cattle and genetically modified chickens will march straight in in the future.
According to the Associated Press, opponents believe that genetically modified fish may still disperse into the wild environment, affecting natural fish stocks, and that this "Frankenfish" may trigger human allergies. The second-largest retail supermarket chain in the United States, Safeway, said two years ago that it had no plans to supply genetically modified salmon.
Opponents question that the US Food and Drug Administration only mentioned that "genetically modified salmon has no impact on the US environment," without mentioning Canada and Panama, where it is actually farmed.
The US Food and Drug Administration stressed in particular in its press release yesterday that many consumers are very concerned about how to identify genetically modified salmon, so it specially drafted labeling guidelines for genetically modified salmon and genetically modified crops, to be provided to sellers who want "voluntary" labeling. Felicia Billingslea of the US Food and Drug Administration, who is responsible for genetically modified labeling, said that this guide can help consumers understand the source of the food they eat, whether it is genetically modified or non-genetically modified.
From the above text, the United States still insists on the principle of "substantial equivalence" between genetically modified and ordinary foods, that is, when safety, nutritional content and so on are all the same, no special labeling is needed.
Scholars call on the people of Taiwan, China, to resist genetically modified salmon
Many groups in the United States have begun to prepare petition actions, demanding that the government mandate labeling, and anti-GMO groups in Taiwan, China, are also calling on the public to tell our country's Food and Drug Administration that Taiwan, China, does not want genetically modified fish.
Kuo Hua-jen, a retired professor in the Department of Agronomy at National Taiwan University, said that if operators really apply to import genetically modified salmon, public opinion pressure can serve as the Food and Drug Administration's backing, and at the very least it should observe whether Japan and the European Union have marketed it.
Chou Pei-ju, section chief of the Inspection and Registration Section of the Food Division of the Food and Drug Administration, said that no application has been received so far, and if operators apply, the Food and Drug Administration will accept it, but it will only be approved after passing a human health risk assessment; the Fisheries Agency said that introducing genetically modified salmon for farming requires field trials, genetic testing, escape assessment and so on, and it can only be farmed after ensuring no impact on the environment; at present, Taiwan, China, only allows the farming of genetically modified ornamental fish.
Kuo Chin-chuan, a professor at National Taiwan Ocean University who has long studied salmon, believes that ordinary salmon change sex under high temperatures or special circumstances; as for whether genetically modified fish will change, the developer should provide more detailed data.
He said earnestly that GMO companies often emphasize that genetic modification can solve the problem of insufficient food supply, "but food production is not insufficient, rather distribution is uneven"; no one knows exactly what problems genetic modification will cause, and he does not want to see the birth of genetically modified salmon.