THE FIRST GM FOOD ANIMAL GETS APPROVAL.; THE ATLANTIC SALMON.

After two decades of deliberation, the USA's Food and Drug Administration has approved the first ever genetically engineered food animal, a fast-growing Atlantic Salmon called AquAdvantage salmon. The modified salmon are safe to eat, equally nutritious as other salmon, and should pose no threat to the environment.The Atlantic salmon are modified to carry a growth hormone gene from Chinook salmon. The gene is further engineered to be under the control of a tiny bit of DNA, called a promoter, from the eel-like ocean pout fish. In general, DNA promoters are non-coding sequences that help control the expression level of a gene—how much protein product is synthesized from the gene. With the engineered promoter boosting hormone production, the modified salmon grow to market-size in about half the time of conventional Atlantic salmon. The long approval process, the FDA assessed the nutritional profiles and hormone levels, comparing the modified fish to unmodified farm-raised Atlantic salmon. The agency found no significant differences.Read more here;http://arstechnica.com/science/2015/11/fda-approves-first-gmo-food-animal-atlantic-salmon/