Over Fifty Organizations and Businesses Endorse Congressional Letters; CFS Calls upon FDA to Reject Approval of GE Salmon
The Center for Food Safety applauds the 40 Representatives and Senators for requesting the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) halt the approval of the long-shelved AquaBounty transgenic salmon, the first genetically engineered (GE) animal intended for human consumption.
Congressmen Peter DeFazio (D-OR), Dennis Kucinich (D-OH), and Mike Thompson (D-CA) led 29 Members of the House of Representatives in asking the FDA to halt the approval process of AquaBounty GE salmon in a letter to FDA Commissioner, Margaret Hamburg. Senator Mark Begich (D-AK) led 10 Senators in a similar letter to FDA Commissioner Hamburg. The letters call on the agency to halt approval as well as thoroughly examine and address the serious flaws with FDA’s approval process and include greater public input and scientific data.
“The FDA’s hastily completed approval process puts American consumers and the environment at risk. GE salmon could be devastating to fishing and coastal communities, our food source, and already depleted wild salmon populations. The FDA should put the interests and safety of American families and our ocean resources above special interests,” Rep. DeFazio said.
The Congressional letters were supported by 53 consumer and environmental groups, commercial and recreational fisheries associations, and food businesses and retailers. Those groups include the Center for Food Safety, Alaska Marine Conservation Council, Bristol Bay Regional Seafood Development, and Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations.
“FDA’s own Advisory Committee has raised numerous concerns regarding the environmental, food safety, and economic risks this GE fish may pose,” said Andrew Kimbrell, Executive Director for the Center for Food Safety. These included small sample sizes, incomplete data, improper culling practices, and poor scientific assessments. “FDA’s decision to go ahead with this approval process is misguided and dangerous,” Kimbrell added.
Over 300 environmental, consumer, health, and animal welfareorganizations, 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. The Center for Food Safety and a coalition of allied groups also submitted nearly 172,000 comments from individuals opposing the approval. In addition, 13 members of the California State Legislature sent a letterto FDA and President Obama requesting that FDA deny the approval until the full suite of environmental and food safety concerns are addressed.
The Representatives endorsing the House letter include Reps. Earl Blumenauer (Ore.), George Miller (Calif.), Sam Farr (Calif.), John Garamendi (Calif.), Raúl Grijalva (Ariz.), Maurice Hinchey (N.Y.), Barbara Lee (Calif.), Betty McCollum (Minn.), Dennis Moore (Kan.), Jim Moran (Va.), Jerrold Nadler (N.Y.), Jackie Speier (Calif.), Peter Welch (Vt.), Lynn Woolsey (Calif.), David Wu (Ore.), Madeleine Bordallo (Guam), Jim McDermott (Wash.), Lloyd Doggett (Tex.), Lois Capps (Calif.), Louise Slaughter (N.Y.), Kurt Schrader (Ore.), Keith Ellison (Minn.), Norm Dicks (Wash.) and Donna Christensen (V.I.).
In addition to Sen. Begich, the other lawmakers signing the Senate letter to the FDA include Sen. Lisa Murkowski (AK), Sen. Patty Murray (WA), Sen. Bernard Sanders (VT), Sen. Maria Cantwell (WA), Sen. Ron Wyden (OR), Sen. Patrick Leahy (VT), Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (NY), Sen. Barbara Mikulski (MD), Sen. Jeff Merkley (OR), and Sen. Jon Tester (MT).
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The Center for Food Safety is a national, non-profit, membership organization founded in 1997 to protect human health and the environment by curbing the use of harmful food production technologies and by promoting organic and other forms of sustainable agriculture. CFS currently represents over 125,000 members across the nation. The Dear Colleague letters as well as materials about GE fish including fact sheets, sign-on letters and testimony delivered to the VMAC are available on the web at: www.ge-fish.org
*CFS has worked with many states to pass laws and regulations on GE fish: California, Washington, Oregon, Maryland, Michigan, Florida and Alaska have all passed laws or rules regulating GE salmon, and Alaska requires labeling for any GE fish product
