That's an enormous increase. The industry will have to change drastically. In an area rife with controversies, one of the most contentious issues for US consumers will be the labelling of genetically modified food. Unlike Europe and Japan, North American regulatory agencies do not require transgenic foods to be labeled unless they are significantly different from products already on the market. Although it's not required, AF Protein plans to label its genetically modified fish.
Transparency is a major issue.
Products must be labelled only if they introduce new ingredients or potential allergens or have different nutritional value, according to an FDA spokesperson. Since most genetically modified foods are not supposed to be physiologically different to unmodified varieties, they will not be labelled as such. That doesn't mean products haven't been thoroughly tested, Entis said. The FDA will examine the anatomy and genes of AquAdvantage salmon, as well as its lipid and hormone content. The approval process, which takes several years, also examines any potential environmental impact.