WASHINGTON — What’s for dinner? Before long, it may well be genetically modified salmon, the first such altered animal cleared for human consumption in the United States.
Critics call it “frankenfish,” but the Food and Drug Administration granted its approval Thursday, saying the faster-growing salmon is safe to eat. It could be available within a couple of years.
“There are no biologically relevant differences in the nutritional profile of AquAdvantage Salmon compared to that of other farm-raised Atlantic salmon,” the agency said.
The Obama administration had stalled in approving the salmon for more than five years amid consumer concerns about genetically modified foods. The fish grows twice as fast as normal salmon, so it reaches market size more quickly.
Once the salmon reach stores, consumers may not know they are eating them. Because there are no material differences between an engineered and a normal salmon, the FDA says the law does not require the fish to be labeled as engineered.
