|
 FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg said it was
examining as many as 35,000 comments about the application on the
salmon by Boston-based AquaBounty Technologies Inc, which applied
for approval in the mid-1990s.
"We will be moving forward in a deliberate, science-driven way,
reflecting all of the important inputs ... as we consider this
product application," Hamburg told the U.S. Senate's Health,
Education, Labor and Pensions Committee during a hearing about the
agency's current initiatives.
AquaBounty officials could not be reached for comment. The company
has said in the past that it expected a decision from the FDA by the
end of 2013.
Hamburg did not say when the FDA would make its final decision.
If the altered fish, known as AdquAdvantage salmon, is approved, it
would be the first genetically altered animal product to reach the
plates of consumers in the United States.
The company has said its salmon is safe to eat and could help
address numerous food supply issues, including the demand for
healthier foods and depleted fish stocks, because it is engineered
to grow more quickly.
But environmental, health and consumer advocates have raised concerns, citing unknown long-term effects on people and the planet
of a genetically altered food.
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Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska told Hamburg she
wanted assurances that the agency would not allow the fish to be
sold if it could not determine it was safe. She also said if the
agency does approve it, the fish should carry clear labeling to show
it is genetically altered.
"I don't believe that the FDA has adequately studied the
environmental effects, the economic impacts ... let alone the
potential health impacts on humans," said Murkowski, whose state is
home to a significant fishing industry.
"If we could guarantee that it wasn't safe to eat, then it would not
pass our approval standards," Hamburg said.
(Reporting by Susan Heavey; editing by Ros Krasny and Grant McCool)
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