(afagen)
If you’re curious about whether the food you’re munching on is the product of gene-splicing scientists, don’t expect the Food and Drug Administration to allay those fears.
The Washington Post reports it won’t slap “genetically modified” labels on salmon that have been created with genes from different species of fish because the modified salmon are not materially different than the non-mutant fish.
The Post reports the issue came up because the FDA is in the process of approving a fast-growing X-salmon known as AquAdvantage that benefits from a gene of an eel-like fish and a growth hormone from a Chinook salmon.
Do you care whether or not your genetically altered meat is labeled as such?
FDA rules won’t require labeling of genetically modified salmon [The Washington Post via The Raw Story]
(Thanks, Michael!)
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I’m not opposed in principle to genetically modified food, as we have been modifying our food supply for centuries, mostly via crossbreeding. And I agree that most people are ignorant to the extent their “natural” everyday foods are no such thing.
However, consumers should be allowed to make their own choices. Whether their reason is that they have safety concerns or that they generally think Frankenfish are icky, they should have the choice to not each such fish if they choose not to. Not labeling the fish prevents them for making that choice.
Not to mention, though the FDA has said the fish are safe, how can they really know that? If there are any long-term health effects from eating GM animals, these won’t be known for years. Shouldn’t the consumer be allowed to decide whether they want to take such a risk?
I’m not saying that I personally wouldn’t eat GM fish or that I expect one day we’ll discover they cause some horrible health issue or the like. Just that what I put in my body is my choice, and I can’t make an informed choice if infomation is being witheld. And the argument that food manufacturers don’t want GM labels becuase they’re afraid people won’t buy the food is pretty weak…why not just give people what they want, instead of decieving them into buying what they don’t want?