Authorities say that Genetically Engineered Salmon are Safe for Human Consumption!!

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ruled in early September that genetically engineered (GE) salmon are safe for human consumption. The decision opens the door for fish farmers to manage salmon as if they are hogs, fattening them with grains and accelerating growth with various medications.

Two key issues are addressed

Two key issues are addressed in the FDA's review – elevated levels of insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1), a suspected carcinogen, and the impact of gene flow to wild species of Atlantic salmon. On both counts, the FDA has determined that the risks are very small and essentially not worth worrying about. 

There are some who disagree

Others disagree.  IGF-1 occurs naturally in salmon, milk, and other animal products.  It is a risk factor for colon, prostate and breast cancer, and triggers puberty prematurely.  According to the FDA, GE salmon contains just a small amount more, as does milk from cows administered bovine growth hormone.  According to

Dan Kennedy

"by considering such matters [elevated IGF-1 levels in food] one at a time, the FDA may well be introducing us to many tiny risks that start adding up to a very real risk" (The Guardian, September 7, 2010).

Kennedy goes on to pose the question

"If salmon and milk and a whole range of edible food-like substances yet to come contain elevated levels of IGF-1, when, exactly, are we supposed to start worrying?"

New and old questions at public hearings

The FDA has scheduled a series of public hearings on GE salmon, and many consumer and environmental groups are raising new and old questions.  Litigation is likely, regardless of FDA's ultimate decision.

Source: Dan Kennedy, "Genetically modified salmon is deemed safe for human consumption – despite higher levels of a suspected carcinogen," The Guardian, London, U.K., September 7, 2010

One in ten meals in China is cooked with oil dredged from sewers. Reselling used cooking oil collected from sewers is legal in China.

Source: Malcolm Moore, "China goes organic after scandal of cooking oil from sewers," The Telegraph, August 30, 2010,