Sixty-Four Organizations, Fishing Associations and Retailers Endorse Legislation; Lawmakers Cite Serious Economic, Environmental and Human Health Threats
The Center for Food Safety along with 63 other groups, businesses and retailers applaud Senators Mark Begich (D-Alaska) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) as well as Representative Don Young (R-Alaska) who recently introduced bills that would ban genetically engineered (GE) fish and require mandatory labeling if approved.
“FDA’s decision to go ahead with this approval process is misguided and dangerous for consumers, the environment and our economy” said Andrew Kimbrell, Executive Director for the Center for Food Safety. “Congress once again has to step in to correct the failures of the Obama Administration to halt the approval of GE fish and protect our rural economies from the dangers posed by GE fish.”
The legislation comes in reaction to an announcement last August that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had begun the process for approving of the long-shelved AquaBounty transgenic salmon, the first genetically engineered (GE) animal intended for human consumption.
The legislation has been endorsed by 64 consumer, worker, religious and environmental groups, along with commercial, recreational and subsistence fisheries associations, and food businesses and retailers. Those groups include the Center for Food Safety, Ocean Conservancy, Bristol Bay Regional Seafood Development, the Alaska Trollers Association, Food and Water Watch, the National Cooperative Grocers Association and the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations among others.
Last fall over 300 environmental, consumer, health, and animal welfare organizations, along with salmon and fishing groups and associations, food companies, chefs and restaurants signed joint letters to the FDA opposing the approval of AquaBounty’s GE salmon. Additionally nearly 400,000 public comments were sent to FDA from citizens demanding the agency reject this application and require mandatory labeling of this transgenic salmon should it decide to approve it.
