Five tons of genetically modified salmon have recently been shipped up North, but some Canadian consumers might not realize they are buying it.
Further to receiving regulatory approval from Health Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency last year, Aqua Bounty confirmed last week that they had sold approximately five tons of fresh AquAdvantage Salmon fillets at market price to unnamed customers in Canada.
“This quarter marked two milestone events for AquaBounty—the purchase of our first commercial farm site for the production of our eco-friendly AquAdvantage Salmon in the United States and the very first sales of AquAdvantage Salmon,” said Ronald Stotish, Chief Executive Officer of AquaBounty. “The sale and discussions with potential buyers clearly demonstrate that customers want our fish, and we look forward to increasing our production capacity to meet demand.”
According to AquaBounty, their innovative AquAdvantage Salmon, with its fast growth rate, shortens the production cycle from 28-36 months to 16-18 months, transforming land-based salmon farming into an economically viable production model.
Since news broke, several activist organizations have come forward calling for mandatory GM labeling and asking stores to withdraw the GM salmon from sale until then.
In 2015, the FDA issued a ban on the import and sale of GM fish until clear labeling guidelines were established. The Health Ministry and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency ruled genetically modified salmon is “as safe and nutritious as conventional salmon.”
