How will this fish tale end? FDA weighs whether to OK genetically engineered salmon for sale

Genetically engineered salmon now on FDA’s plate

WASHINGTON — The Food and Drug Administration is starting two days of hearings on whether genetically engineered salmon should be sold in a store near you. If the answer is yes, this type of salmon could become the first genetically engineered animal approved for human consumption.

The FDA already has said the salmon, which grows twice as fast as conventional salmon, is as safe to eat as the traditional variety. At issue at the hearings that begin Monday is whether the government will allow the salmon to be marketed.

Approval would open the door for a variety of other genetically engineered animals. Other examples include an environmentally friendly pig that’s being developed in Canada or cattle that resist mad cow disease.