WASHINGTON (AP) — The Food and Drug Administration has approved genetically modified salmon, the first altered animal for human consumption in the United States.
The FDA made the announcement on Thursday.
The Obama administration has stalled for more than five years on deciding whether to approve a fast-growing salmon.
By altering genetic materials, scientists have proposed — and in some cases, actually created — animals that would be bred to be disease-free, cleaner in their environments or grow more efficiently.
Opponents of the technology have taken advantage of increasing consumer concern about genetically modified foods and have urged several major retailers not to sell it.
– by AP Reporter Mary Clare Jalonick
