US authorities opened hearings Monday on genetically modified salmon, the final step before deciding whether to allow it to become the first transgenic animal to hit American dinner tables.
The US Food and Drug Administration has already determined that, based on company data, the modified fish is safe for human consumption and the environment as part of a risk assessment finished in early September.
Now the agency is to hear from independent experts on the issue before making a final ruling.
The fish -- a new Atlantic salmon with a growth hormone gene from the Chinook salmon that allows it to grow faster -- "is as safe as food from conventional Atlantic salmon," the FDA said in a September 3 statement on the agency's website.
"There is a reasonable certainty of no harm from consumption of food from this animal," which is the creation of Massachusetts-based AquaBounty Technologies.
The FDA was to listen to experts on both sides of the debate, which has sharpened with opponents warning that a ruling in favor could not only endanger wild salmon but open the door to other kinds of GMO foods that may pose health or environmental dangers.
AquaBounty argues that its fish, injected with a gene from the Pacific Chinook salmon, can reach adult size in 16 to 18 months instead of 30 months for normal Atlantic salmon.
The company said that in all other respects, its AquAdvantage salmon "are identical to other Atlantic salmon."
But a coalition of 31 groups is urging the FDA to reject the application, with critics warning that the new salmon could exacerbate the problem of farmed fish escaping from tanks and breeding with wild counterparts, with unpredictable results.
It could also open the door to a variety of other kinds of genetically engineered animals ranging from tilapia to pigs to cows.
AquaBounty has insisted it would only rear GMO salmon in inland hatcheries, and that only sterile female salmon will be sold to farmers.
The coalition against the plan criticized the FDA's initial support, saying the agency based its decision on scientific data provided by AquaBounty and involving just six fish specimens. FDA gave just 14 days of public review of the data, it added.
"Data from a mere six salmon, which is all FDA presents, is not sufficient nor rigorous enough to conclude that no problem exists," said Michael Hansen, senior scientist at Consumers Union, in a statement.
Other groups warn against the danger to human health of GMO salmon.
Hansen will appear at Monday's hearing to stress that a more rigorous study and safety assessment be conducted.
"Unfortunately, the evidence of FDA's evaluation of the AquAdvantage salmon suggests that FDA has set the bar very low," he said in a statement.
The "woefully incomplete" data "raise a potential serious human health issue, that of increased allergenicity," he said.
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