AquAdvantage® Genetically Modified Salmon Ready for U.S. Commercial Launch

Welcome to the second edition of our New GMO Alerts newsletter! One of the Non-GMO Project’s primary goals is to create greater transparency in the supply chain, empowering you to make informed choices about the ingredients you use or the brands you choose. As the only U.S. organization exclusively dedicated to monitoring the development and commercialization of GMOs, we feel it’s important to share this information with you. All products developed using biotechnology are defined as GMOs by the Project’s Standard. Today, we’re looking at AquAdvantage® salmon.

Harvesting Set to Happen Spring 2021

AquaBounty is set to harvest and commercialize its first cohort of genetically modified AquAdvantage® salmon in the U.S. this spring. The fish were raised at the company’s Albany, Ind., facility and were originally set to be harvested at the end of 2020. The AquAdvantage® salmon is an Atlantic salmon genetically modified to include DNA from both a Chinook salmon and an ocean pout to enable the fish
to grow faster.

Currently, the AquAdvantage® salmon is listed on the National Bioengineered Food Disclosure Standard (NBFDS) as bioengineered and therefore must include a Bioengineered Food label when sold at retail.

At the end of February, AquaBounty began sending samples of the fish to approximately 10 retail and food service companies for the purpose of quality checks prior to orders being placed.

Numerous Companies Commit to not Selling AquAdvantage®

Numerous grocery chains, restaurants, seafood companies and food service providers, including Costco, Kroger, Meijer, Target, Walmart, Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, Aldi, Aramark, Compass Group and Sodexo, have committed to not sell the AquAdvantage® genetically modified salmon.