1/8/12 

Call or email your representative before January 18!

Let your state legislators know what you think about Assembly Bill AB 88 (Huffman), which requires all genetically engineered salmon sold in California to be clearly labeled. AB 88 is set to come before the California Assembly Appropriations Committee soon.  

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) may soon approve AquAdvantage transgenic salmon as the first genetically engineered animal intended for human consumption. The only recourse for states is to require clear labeling. 

Recent polls by Consumers Union, Thompson-Reuters and others show that 90 to 95 percent of consumers want genetically engineered animals sold for food to be required to be labeled. Yet the FDA argues that these GE salmon don’t need to be labeled!   

The genetically engineered salmon before FDA has not been adequately evaluated for either health or environmental risks. Health problems include increased risks of potentially fatal food allergies and decreased nutritional value.  Furthermore, a number of scientists are also concerned that this salmon, which grows to maturity five times as fast as normal salmon, could pose a threat to wild salmon populations, including those on the West Coast, due to competition or spread of disease, if it escapes from fish farms.