Tell the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to put a label on all genetically engineered salmon. Without the label consumers won’t know whether or not they’re eating genetically modified salmon.
The devil is in the details: In genetically engineered food, the DNA from one organism is placed into another and interferes with the structure and/or function of the animal. The salmon would get a growth gene from the Pacific chinook salmon and genetic material from the ocean pout, an eel-like fish, that would allow the salmon to grow in the summer and winter speeding up the natural growth process.
I don’t want a little eel with my salmon thanks very much. And, I don’t need my fish to grow to full size overnight. What I eat should be my choice and my choice alone. Without a warning label choice is taken away.
There’s an informative video produced by CNN: Eat Genetically-Altered Food?
Let’s be smart. Insist genetically engineered salmon require a warning label. Sign the petition
‘Tell the FDA: Put a Label on Genetically Engineered Salmon.’
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Oh crap, they NEED to label this stuff. Question – what about fish that’s bought at a fish counter? How would they label that?
Steph-
Good question. if you go to the fish counter, ask the person behind the glass. They should know where their fish comes from at least. Not saying they will care but at least they should know this information.
judy
Here in New Zealand, GMOs are not allowed, so I can’t imagine not even being TOLD that a food is GMO so you can make your own choices. Shocking.
Melanie-
You are so fortunate living in NZ then! Your government seems to be a whole lot brighter than some
judy
Kind of scary, but where is the line? They breed other animals to enhance certain qualities. This seems like a totally different thing though.
Brette-the problem comes in when the FDA doesn’t think its important to label genetically altered food. Consumers needed to know.
judy
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Stephanie Stiavetti and Brette Sember, Judith Stock. Judith Stock said: Would you eat genetically altered salmon? Is it Fish or Frankenfish? http://bit.ly/9yOoUq #FDA #salmon #food #gmo [...]
Sometimes I feel like there isn’t anything a girl can safely eat.
I know the feeling Roxanne. You think you are doing the right thing, being careful with what you put in your mouth and then new information comes to light and you’re on that slippery slope again.
judy
Roxanne, I feel the same way – I hate to admit it, but I’ve been avoiding the fish counter because I’m just overwhelmed by everything I should be avoiding. And my local Whole Foods doesn’t stock too much that’s on the green list! So sad.
This makes me furious. We are discussing salmon here, but ALL genetically modified organisms should be labeled, and we should have the choice to eat food that is not genetically modified. We are talking nutrition, too. Apparently gm crops are less nutritious and lab animals in Europe that have been fed a diet of gm crops lose their ability to reproduce. As for the salmon, I do not want to eat it, and I want to know how to avoid it. There’s a new petition on Facebook with this regard. I will add the link here for your readers, and head over to sign the petition you posted. Thanks for this report! http://www.causes.com/causes/270
Sandy-
Like my niece said yesterday when I told her, “We’re all going to turn into mutants if we’re not careful.” Really, this is so ridiculous as to be stupid that genetically altered fish won’t have a warning label on it. At least give the citizens a fighting chance. And, you are right, its not just about us and what we prefer to eat but our children’s’ kids, too. Thanks for the article.
judy
PS. Just discovered this article on the subject, which is sure to interest you: http://www.anh-usa.org/genetically-engineered-foods-and-new-action-alert/. If it was just me, I would not be so upset, but all this craziness in food politics and limited choices in food and possible consequences of eating only gmos is worrisome because I’m a grandmother now.
How infuriating indeed, that consumers don’t get a choice. Thank you for alerting us to this issue!
Christine-
thanks for your comment. I do appreciate it. I just feel like everyone should be alerted to these facts. After all, who wants to eat salmon that’s been altered without knowing the facts.
judy
I’ve heard somewhere that Trader Joe’s isn’t allowing GMOs, do you know if that’s true?
You are absolutely correct, Kristen. I just looked in up on the Trader Joe’s website. Here’s what they said:
Trader Joe’s Products are Sourced from Non-GMO Ingredients
Our customers can be assured that all products in Trader Joe’s private label are sourced from non-genetically modified ingredients. Our efforts began in 2001, when we determined that, given a choice, our customers would prefer to eat foods and beverages made without the use of genetically engineered ingredients. Our process has been to identify any product containing ingredients that could potentially be derived from genetically engineered crops and work with our suppliers to replace offending ingredients with acceptable alternatives.
Yay for Trader Joe’s !!
judy
I think truth in labeling would be a nice thing. I understand that manufacturers are against it because they worry we would change our buying habits. Well, duh. That’s the whole point, now, isn’t it?
The educated ones are ALREADY changing their buying habits.
And, regarding Trader Joe’s, not everyone has a Trader Joe’s nearby. I have to drive 45 minutes to reach one. I applaud their policy, but soon it will be impossible to be sure crops are not GMOs because of drift, gmo seeds are taking over. Food Inc. shows how small farmers are being sued by Monsanto when this happens and made to go out of business. Soon it will be impossible to plant non-GMO seeds, as Monsanto is buying up all the seed companies.
Yes, we absolutely need to know what we are eating, especially something that is altered from its original state. Thanks for bringing this to our attention – especially mine, since salmon is the one fish I eat the most.
Sheryl- i know, my favorite fish is salmon also! So I am supper interested in this topic. And, the most important thing, we all need to know what we are putting into our mouths.
This is a huge pet peeve of mine. I want to know so that *I* can make an informed decision about what I buy and eat. And while salmon is problematic, we need labeling on ALL of our foods. Who’s in charge of what we eat? Us or them?
Absolutely, a label is called for. Thanks for alerting me to the latest on the fish front. I find the whole fishing quandary so complex that I’m eating fewer and fewer ocean creatures ’cause I’m uncertain what’s okay and what isn’t for a host of eco and health reasons.
Sarah-
thanks so much for your comments. Know what you mean about eating less and less fish. There seems to be no clear line here on what fish to eat and what not to eat. Geeze!
judy
My feeling is…if it’s the SAME then what’s to hide? You’d think they’d want to be promoting this, you know?
Wow this is a great resource.. I’m enjoying it.. good article
Really informative post. And I agree that a label that informs the consumer what they’re about to purchase is necessary. Only then can they make informed decisions.
Jeanine
Thanks Jeanine. Do appreciate your comment! Yes we have to know what we are eating!!
judy