Blumenthal: FDA Should Require Labels Identifying Genetically Engineered Salmon
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Consumers at the fish market are left in the dark when it comes to the question of what kind of salmon they're looking at. Is it wild, farm raised or genetically engineered?
U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., is appalled the Food and Drug Administration has not required genetically engineered salmon to be clearly labeled as such, WCBS 880 Connecticut Bureau Chief Fran Schneidau reported. The senator is pressing for legislation to address the issue.
Consumers, he says, have the right to know what they're buying.
"This salmon has been genetically changed through inserting DNA from a different type of fish to make it grow more quickly, in fact twice as fast," Blumenthal said.
"This salmon will be bigger, it will grow quicker, but that's not necessarily better or healthier. And Americans should have the choice."
Blumenthal said shoppers should not have to rely on the word of the fishmonger who might not always be truthful about what type of fish is being sold.
