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By Reps. Don Young (R-Alaska) and Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.) - 12/08/15 06:51 PM EST Weeks ago, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced its misguided decision to approve the nation’s first ever genetically modified animal for human consumption — genetically engineered salmon. Despite overwhelming opposition from scientists, consumers and fishermen, the genetically modified organism (GMO) commonly referred to as “Frankenfish” could unknowingly be your choice for dinner as early as 2017. The marketplace approval of AquaBounty Technologies’s GMO salmon represents a major failure on the part of the FDA. For starters, the approval process failed to consider many of the negative consequences associated with GMO fish. This disingenuous process, which followed the same standards for approving a new drug for animal use, never truly considered the risks associated to our wild salmon species, our ocean ecosystems and the U.S. fishing economy. To make matters worse, the FDA’s decision explicitly stated that these products would not be required to be labeled as genetically engineered, leaving many American consumers in the dark. Together, with our colleagues and a large number of American retailers and consumers, we have opposed the FDA’s approval of GMO salmon. These efforts have included numerous pieces of legislation to ban such products from ever reaching market and others to ensure American consumers have access to clear and transparent labeling of these GMO products. In today’s global marketplace, a consumer’s access to accurate ingredient information is paramount. Clear and accurate GMO labeling requirements attempt to mitigate the risks of market confusion or rejection by countries that have no interest in purchasing the hybrid organisms. Confusion among consumers about what type of salmon or seafood are genetically engineered could significantly deter shoppers from purchasing these products altogether. Ultimately, we must protect the nation’s sustainable, wild-caught seafood industry from the irreparable harms a full-on market rejection of salmon as a safe and nutritious food item would cause. Most recently, Congress has pursued legislative efforts to block states such as Alaska and Oregon from instituting mandatory labeling requirements of GMO fish and seafood. Proponents of this legislation, the so-called Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act, have coalesced around the idea of adding language to an upcoming omnibus spending bill. These efforts would significantly undermine a state’s right to develop labeling laws within their own jurisdictions and preempt efforts to give consumers the right to know their fish products were genetically engineered. Given the FDA’s recent approval of Frankenfish, we believe this is the last thing Congress should be pursuing. Together, we have introduced bipartisan legislation in the House that would allow American consumers to decide for themselves. H.R. 913, the Genetically Engineered Food Right-to-Know Act, will give consumers a clear choice when deciding which products to serve at the dinner table. The bill would require the FDA to clearly label food that has been genetically engineered or contains any genetically engineered ingredients, unless the information is clearly disclosed. We look forward to you joining our cause to defeat the FDA’s disastrous decision to approve GMO salmon and at the very least our common sense proposal to give Americans the right to know what they are eating. Young has been Alaska’s at-large representative since 1973. He sits on the Natural Resources and the Transportation committees. DeFazio has represented Oregon’s 4th Congressional District since 1987. He sits on the Transportation Committee. In graduate school, our departmental T-shirts featured the titles of two books authored by... Take a breath before you explode, if you’re a Donald Trump supporter. I have nothing against The... Everybody must sympathize with Donald Trump’s desire to keep potential terrorists out of the... Last week, a married couple opened fire in a San Bernardino, Calif., community center, killing...
