I don't eat fish, but if I did I would not eat that. And I would certainly hope it'd be on the label at the grocery store (or the menu at the restaurant) that the salmon was GM. Did you know they (the gov. I guess--Honestly not too sure *who* exactly TBH) are trying to make it illegal for companies to label their product as non-GM?
A coalition of 31 [...] groups announced opposition to the approval last week, citing, in particular, concerns that the salmon could escape and possibly outcompete wild salmon for food or mates.
But AquaBounty said the fish would be grown only inland. And only sterile females will be sold, limiting any ability to reproduce. The F.D.A., in its analysis, basically agreed that the chance of escape or ecological disruption was small. The salmon “are not expected to have a significant impact on the quality of the human environment,” it concluded.
He also pointed to information in the documents suggesting that up to 5 percent of the fish might not be sterile because the process is not perfect.
So, up to 5% may not be sterile. What if those up to 5% escaped? Well, let's say even ONE percent escaped. Or a fraction of a percent. What if they DID out-compete wild salmon for food, reproduction, and habitat? What if down the line, we realize how terrible for our bodies it is to be eating this GM salmon, and that's all that's left!
the engineered salmon have slightly higher levels of insulinlike growth factor 1, a hormone related to growth hormone. Some studies suggest that high levels of the insulinlike hormone in the bloodstream are associated with greater cancer risk, though it is not clear how much food contributes to hormone levels in the blood.
However, the F.D.A. did an analysis that concluded that even if people ate a lot of the salmon, it would not make a significant difference in the amount of the hormone they would consume.
In the future, people probably won't just be eating GM salmon. I mean, there's already (isn't there?) GM cows and chickens (not GM made in the lab but GM made by selective breeding, right? Still gettin' all my facts straightened out on this stuff as I was misinformed in the past). There's already GM corn and soy. In the future, people will probably be eating multiple different GM foods in a *DAY*. Who knows what impact that will have on our bodies?
I am not a fan of GM foods. Even if it will give us the ability to feed the world--That's not the United State's prerogative IMO. Feed our country, and feed it well. Not GM.
I really hope it's never illegal for a company to put on the label that their food is non-GM. The food in this country is going to be scary in another ten to twenty years.
Thanks for posting this, asecin.
(Side note: I think this topic might be better off in current events...?)