We all know that eating more fish is good for us. The problem is that, outside of canned tuna, fish is generally pretty expensive, which makes it hard for many families to integrate it into their diets.
That’s why it is great news that the FDA has approved the sale of genetically modified salmon. Scientists have found a way to breed a fish that grows faster than salmon typically do, which means it will be easier and less costly to bring to market. The FDA explained that it could find no reason not to make the product available since it poised no safety concerns for humans.
People get nervous about the idea of genetically modified food, but as Julie explained in this great policy report, GM food has been around for decades, study to death, and has never been found to pose a danger.
I’m still angry that alarmist environmentalists and government scolds discouraged me from eating tuna fish during my first pregnancy. I was advised to avoid tuna fish because of the presence of trace levels of mercury. Anxious to be a good mom, I avoided tuna fish entirely, only to learn that I was depriving my daughter of brain building-nutrients and that the whole mercury-in-tuna scare is pretty much completely bogus for anyone who isn’t eating ten cans of tuna every day.
That’s why I take this news about salmon as entirely good news: Making healthy food more accessible and less costly is progress, and I hope that we see more such developments in the future.