Genetically Engineered Salmon Questioned by FDA
Genetically modified foods have been the center of whirling controversy for the past few years; the questions regarding risks to natural food chains, safety for human consumption and the ethics involved are staggering.
The latest food (and I use that term for lack of a better one) to come under scrutiny by the FDA is genetically engineered salmon.
The Atlantic salmon, whose fate shall be decided today by the FDA, is being injected with growth hormones to stimulate a growth rate that is twice the rate of conventional salmon at the moment. Not only that, but these genetically engineered fish will require a larger amount of antibiotics due to the fact that they have a lower survival rate. Farm-raised salmon already has the largest ratio of antibiotics to weight of any livestock being raised.
If approved, and for the sake of our health let's dearly hope that they aren't, these salmon will be the very first genetically engineered animal approved for human consumption.
Fears about these salmon include not only the unknown effects on human health and the large amount of antibiotics to be used in these fish, but the risk to natural salmon populations if any of these modified fish manage to find their way into the wild.
Follow Technorati