The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently released a preliminary analysis report stating that a genetically modified carp cultivated by a biotechnology company in Massachusetts is as safe as common carp. The agency is currently reviewing the company’s listing sales application.
The company's genetically modified carp grew twice as fast as the common carp. The US Agency for Drug Control plans to discuss its advantages and disadvantages for three consecutive days starting on the 19th of this month. The advisory board of the agency will submit pro-inclined opinions to the ABA after hearing opinions from all parties.
In the preliminary analysis report prepared for the meeting, the FDA said that the genetically modified carp was "as safe to eat as other Atlantic salmon" and that its vitamin, mineral, and fatty acid contents "do not differ" from common carp. In addition, this type of genetically modified salmon has been “effectively sterilizedâ€. Coupled with the various protective measures taken in the breeding process, the chances of them fleeing breeding and growing facilities and breeding are “minimum†and “very unlikely†to cause significant harm to the environment. .
However, consumer rights organizations and food safety experts worry that eating this type of genetically modified carp may pose a health hazard because so far only few data have shown that they are safe to eat.
According to Jardy Hansen, a policy analyst at the non-profit organization's Center for Food Safety, the US Agency for Drug Control "basically assumes that" this genetically modified carp is safe to eat, and the number of samples the company uses for research is pitifully low. For example, in a study that analyzed whether it caused an allergy, the sample had only 6 fish.
Hansen believes that the company should conduct research on more transgenic salmon and conduct clinical tests to study its impact on the human body. He intends to issue opinions opposing the approval of the marketing of genetically modified carp at the meeting of the FDA.
The company said that its genetically modified technology will promote the development of U.S. fisheries and reduce the pressure caused by overfishing on the environment.