Salmon has many health benefits. It contains essential amino acids that promote growth and help maintain muscle tissue mass. The protein found in salmon helps the body maintain metabolism at levels to promote weight loss. Salmon is also low in fat and calories, and it’s a good source of some essential vitamins, but these benefits come with eating real salmon…not “Frankenfish”.
This term refers to genetically modified salmon. At the end of December, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released an assessment with their findings showing “no significant impact” from the highly questionable and controversial AquaBounty AquAdvantage transgenic salmon.
In addition to salmon, AquaBounty is developing advanced-hybrid trout and tilapia as well that is designed to grow faster than their conventional siblings.
To go even further, on February 25, the FDA is expected to initiate formal approval of these monster fish, created from the spliced genes of an “eel-like fish” known as the ocean pout which is injected into the Atlantic salmon to create a faster growing fish.
They are designed to eat and produce growth hormones, growing at a rate that is seven times faster than natural salmon, so the time it takes these fish to reach the market is cut in half, resulting in higher profits for the salmon farming industry who in turn promises lower prices to consumers.
Despite the findings, medical experts recommend reducing the consumption of farmed salmon by choosing wild salmon instead because it’s fresh and from a natural source.
Farmed salmon is also treated with antibiotics and pesticides, and research conducted by the University of New York found the dioxin levels of farm-raised salmon to be 11 times higher than that of wild salmon.
So, the next time you’re purchasing salmon, stay far, far away from farm raised “Frankenfish”, but that may be difficult to do since it is likely not to be labeled genetically modified, according to Foodandwaterwatch.org, so you probably won’t even know you’re eating it.
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