Tag: GMO
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Senators Want FDA to Halt Review of GE Salmon
Led by U.S. Senator Mark Begich (D-Alaska), a group of legislators has asked the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to halt its ongoing review of genetically engineered (GE) salmon, citing “serious concerns with the current approval process and many potential health and environmental risks that are associated with producing GE fish.” FDA recently held public…
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FDA Decides Not to Decide on Safety of GM Salmon
A Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advisory panel has reportedly declined to take action or make any recommendations about the safety of genetically modified (GM) salmon at the conclusion of hearings that drew considerable media and public attention. A Massachusetts based company has been trying to bring its AquAvantage® salmon to the market for more…
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Environmental Groups and Farmers Challenge GM Sugar Beet Permits
After the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced that it had begun issuing permits to sugar beet seed producers to plant genetically modified (GM) crops this fall, the Center for Food Safety and a number of other groups filed a lawsuit in federal court challenging the action. When Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the agency’s “next…
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UK Divvies Up Food Safety Responsibilities
The U.K. Food Standards Agency (FSA) has announced that as of September 1, 2010, the agency handed over several responsibilities to the departments of Health (DH) and Environmental, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). Under the restructuring—which does not currently apply to operations to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland—FSA in England will continue to handle the…
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FDA Assessment Backs Safety of GE Salmon
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has released a briefing packet in advance of public meetings to discuss a new animal drug application for genetically engineered (GE) salmon. Produced by AquaBounty Technologies, Inc. (ABT), the AquAdvantage salmon contains genes from Chinook and ocean pout that accelerate maturation. Additional details about the September 19-21, 2010, meetings…
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GM Crops Provoke Passions in Italian Countryside
An Italian agronomist, frustrated by the government’s refusal to approve the planting of genetically modified (GM) crops, has apparently engaged in an act of civil disobedience by planting two fields of GM corn and publicizing his action with a news conference and YouTube® video. Environmentalists reportedly responded by descending on the fields near Vivaro, which…
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FDA to Hold Public Consultations for GE Salmon
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced two public meetings to consider the labeling of food derived from genetically engineered (GE) salmon. During the first meeting slated for September 19-20, 2010, the Veterinary Medicine Advisory Committee will address general scientific issues surrounding GE animals, statutory and regulatory constraints, and “a new animal drug application…
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Court Vacates APHIS Deregulation of GM Sugar Beets; No New Planting Allowed for Now
A federal court in California has decided to stop all new planting of genetically modified (GM) sugar beets in light of its September 2009 ruling that the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) violated environmental law when it deregulated the crop without conducting an appropriate environmental assessment. Ctr. for Food…