California to mandate labeling for GMO salmon

Wednesday, May 11, 2011 by: Jonathan Benson, staff writer
Tags: GMO salmon, labeling, health news

(NaturalNews) The miserable failure of both the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) to stand up for the interests of the people and require proper labeling of AquaBounty's genetically-modified (GM) salmon, which is set to be approved soon, has led California legislators to take matters into their own hands. According to Red, Green & Blue, the California Assembly Health Committee recently approved a measure requiring the "Frankenfish" to be clearly labeled so consumers are aware of what they are purchasing.

AB 88, which was introduced by Assemblyman Jared Huffman, came in response to outcry by consumers, fishing and environmental groups, and even various Indian tribes, who expressed deep concern over the FDA's flagrant disregard for public health in its approval. AB 88 explicitly states that any GM fish or fish product sold without proper labeling will be considered misbranded, and appropriate legal action will ensue

Many NaturalNews readers will remember the details of the AquaBounty saga in which the USDA ignored the known health and contamination risks associated with the GM fish, but decided to approve it anyway -- even though there was no credible evidence that doing so would be safe for people or for the environment (https://www.naturalnews.com/029770_salmon_gen...).

"Knowing whether our salmon is genetically engineered (GE) is important for a host of reasons, including risks to our native salmon species, and allowing consumers to make dietary choices consistent with concerns they may have for the environment, food safety, and religiously or ethically based dietary restrictions," said Assemblyman Huffman concerning the need for the bill.

The vast majority of Americans have indicated that they want to know whether or not the foods they purchase are GM or not. In fact, a recent MSNBC poll revealed that roughly 90 percent of respondents believe GM labeling is an ethical issue, and that individuals have a right to full disclosure (http://www.nongmoproject.org/2011/02/28/msnb...).

Sources for this story include:

http://redgreenandblue.org/2011/05/04/califo...