Scientists at the University of California say they’ve created a new strain of mosquito that could help wipe out malaria. It’s an interesting development, as mosquitoes are known for spreading the disease. But is it safe?
In recent years, scientists have edited bacteria within mosquitoes in an effort to kill the malaria they carried. The newest malaria-fighting insects have been genetically modified, however.
Center for Food Safety as well as additional plaintiffs plan to sue the US Food and Drug Administration over its recent approval of AquaBounty’s AquaAdvantage® salmon for human consumption. As far as consumption goes, this is the first genetically modified animal to receive the agency’s green light.
The federal government has decided that Americans don’t need to know what’s in their food. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said recently that it would not require labeling of genetically modified plants that have been approved for sale.
In the US we are still swimming from the FDA’s approval of GM salmon, while across the world, member states of the EU, Hungary, and Austria team up to make sure genetically modified food isn’t getting into their countries.
Hungary Today reports:
If you want to know how Monsanto gets trade agreements in foreign countries without a truly democratic or legal process, you can look no further than South America for answers. Using antiquated laws and the North American Free Trade Agreements (NAFTA), one of the ‘most hated companies’ in the world has forced its wares into multiple South American countries without considering farmers’ rights, indigenous seed, or food sovereignty for millions of people.
With the ink barely dry on the FDA’s approval of GM salmon, and several watch-dog groups threatening to sue, U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Connecticut, joins consumer groups wary of the genetically modified fish.
The Senator joined consumer groups who voiced concern on Capitol Hill last week, stating:
“I believe strongly that the consumers have a right to know.”
America has a sweet tooth. We eat over 8 tons of sugar derived from different sources every year. For decades farmers provided a myriad of food makers with the sugar they needed without relying on GM sugar beets. But with promises made by Monsanto in 2008 (the year genetically modified sugar beet seeds were introduced), farmers began counting on increased yields and reduced costs. Now they face record low sales as American consumers demand non-GMO food.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration just approved the sale of genetically modified salmon – the first GM animal allowed on the market.
The FDA says that AquaBounty’s product will not require special labeling because it is nutritionally equivalent to conventional farm-raised Atlantic salmon, though this has not been proven.
In a sneaky plan to get around regulatory approval, one US-based company tried to ship genetically modified salmon eggs to Prince Edward Island in Canada, which were then meant to be sent to Panama to be used in what activists are calling a ‘huge, live experiment’ which could have permanently damaged non-GM salmon.
The biotech firm Editas Medicine says that humans who have had their DNA genetically modified could exist within the next 2 years. The company announced that it will soon start the first trials of what it calls a groundbreaking new technique.
