Salmon becomes world’s first genetically-modified animal to enter food supply
Company claims GM fish can reach adult size in just 18 months
AquaBounty Technologies in Maynard, Massachusetts, has said it’s sold about five tonnes of genetically-modified (GM) salmon fillets to unnamed customers in Canada.
These fish can reportedly grow twice as fast as conventionally-farmed Atlantic salmon, reaching adult size in some 18 months as compared to 30 months. AquaBounty has also claimed the salmon consume 20 to 25 per cent less food per gramme of new flesh.
“The sale and discussions with potential buyers clearly demonstrate that customers want our fish, and we look forward to increasing our production capacity to meet demand,” said Ronald Stotish, chief executive of AquaBounty, in a statement Friday.
In 2015, AquaBounty salmon was approved in the U.S. by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), it was reported to be the first genetically-modified animal to be approved for human consumption. But within weeks the FDA issued a ban on the import and sale of GM fish until labelling guidelines were established.
The firm’s Atlantic salmon are modified with a growth hormone gene from Chinook salmon that makes them grow much faster than normal.
Two major grocery chains in Canada, IGA and Costco, have posted on their website that they do not intend to sell genetically-modified salmon.