GMO Animals
Despite Food and Drug Administration approval, GMO salmon might be dead in the water. Thanks to the inspiring work of thousands of Friends of the Earth members and allies, 80 grocery retailers, seafood companies and restaurants with more than 18,000 locations nationwide have listened to scientists and consumers and made commitments to not sell GMO salmon; these include Walmart, Costco and Kroger, the top three largest retailers in the world, and Albertsons, Safeway, Target, Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods. Also, a growing number of chefs and restaurant chains including Red Lobster and Legal Sea Foods have made similar commitments.
Join the movement of restaurants, chefs and grocery retailers that are committing to keep GMO salmon off their shelves.
Following decades of controversy, widespread market rejection and legal and regulatory challenges, U.S.-based biotechnology and aquaculture company AquaBounty Technologies announced it will stop production of all genetically engineered salmon.
Biotech corporation withdraws permit request in a win for agricultural communities threatened by risky insect mass release
Overlooking potential public health risks, FDAC approved the release of several billion more genetically engineered mosquitoes.
Demanding regulatory action on GMO salmon
Although nearly 2 million people — including scientists, fishers, business owners and consumers — wrote to the Food and Drug Administration in opposition to the approval of AquaBounty’s AquAdvantage® genetically engineered salmon, the FDA approved this GMO fish for commercial sale in November 2015. Friends of the Earth and our allies are demanding government accountability. We are currently part of a broad coalition of environmental, consumer and commercial and recreational fishing organizations that have sued the FDA for approving the GMO salmon.
Approval of GMO salmon sets a dangerous precedent
Featherless chickens, hens that lay hypoallergenic eggs, cows that produce only male offspring – these are just a few of the hypothesized applications for genetically engineered animals in agriculture. With the approval of GMO salmon, the U.S. became the first government in the world to approve a genetically engineered animal for commercial sale and consumption. This sets a dangerous precedent for other genetically engineered animals.
At least 35 species of genetically engineered fish are currently in development. And researchers are also exploring applications for pharmaceuticals and industrial production, such as animals that grow organs for human transplantation or goats that produce spider silk. The FDA has already approved genetically engineered goats that secrete an anticoagulant drug in their milk.
Opposing GE Mosquito Experiments
The first time genetically engineered insects were released into the environment and local communities in the United States was April 2021. These experiments are the first step toward Oxitec selling its proprietary GE mosquitoes to state mosquito control boards and American taxpayers. Learn about our work to stop these experiments here!
Thanks to pressure from Friends of the Earth and thousands of our members who highlighted the many sustainability and health concerns surrounding genetically engineered salmon and the lack of consumer demand, 80 food retailers have made commitments to not sell GE salmon, including Walmart, Costco, Albertson’s, Kroger, Trader Joe’s and…
Instead of altering the animal, we need to fix the farm. Instead of creating GMO pigs that are resistant to diseases, we should focus on the root cause of the problem: industrial agriculture and horrendous factory farm conditions.