The genetically engineered AquAdvantage salmon is cleared for sale as food in Canada, the first food animal approved for the commercial market, said Canadian health officials. The salmon, which also was the first GE animal approved by U.S. regulators, will not be required to carry a label in stores to say it was genetically modified, said the CBC.
The developer, AquaBounty Technologies, said it would be at least a year before the fish, engineered to grow twice as fast as conventional Atlantic salmon, is available in stores.
“GM foods are becoming more common every day and are part of the regular diets of Canadians,” said Health Canada. It said GE crops “have been consumed in Canada for many years and are safe and nutritious.”
Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay told reporters, “Yes, I would,” when asked if he would eat the GE salmon. “I’ve eaten all kinds of cereals and stuff and I think I’m doing quite well.”
FDA approval of the GE salmon is under challenge in court. The agency approved a production system in which breeding stock is held in tanks on land in Prince Edward Island in Canada and a facility on land in Panama to grow the fish. The Panama facility has a capacity of 100 tons of fish a year, AquaBounty said last year.