Above Photo: Flickr / Andrea Pokrzywinski / CC BY 4.0
Ban will be lifted once the agency finalizes labeling guidelines for genetically modified salmon
Process for determining rules for labeling could take years.
Just months after the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved genetically engineered salmon for consumption, the FDA has issued a ban on the import and sale of so-called “Frankenfish” until the agency determines guidelines on how it should be labeled, according to The Washington Post.
The ban was made in response to language in a federal spending bill recently passed by Congress instructing regulators to forbid the sale of genetically engineered salmon until labeling guidelines are in place. The Washington Post points out that this process could potentially take years.
Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), who pushed for this language to be added to the spending bill, says, “This is a huge step in our fight against ‘Frankenfish.’ I firmly believe that mandatory labeling guidelines must be put in place as soon as possible so consumers know what it is they are purchasing. It seems that the FDA has begun to listen, and I hope this is a sign that the agency plans to develop these necessary guidelines.”