Activists pressure Costco, other retailers to boycott GMO salmon

The GLP aggregated and excerpted this blog/article to reflect the diversity of news, opinion and analysis.

Consumer groups are pressuring retail giant Costco to publicly promise not to sell genetically modified salmon even if it’s approved by federal regulators.

Friends of the Earth said more than 18,000 letters will be delivered to Costco Wholesale Corp. stores this week, about two months after a coalition of groups including the Center for Food Safety, Food & Water Watch, and Food Democracy Now, collected more than 300,000 signatures on petition urging Costco to refrain from selling the salmon, which they dubbed “Frankenfish.”

In the absence of regulatory approval, Costco responded by saying it did not plan to sell salmon classified as a genetically modified organism (GMO). But consumer groups say the retailer has left the door open to selling it in the future if the Food and Drug Administration approves it.

According to the coalition of consumer groups, more than 60 retailers including Target, Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, Safeway and Kroger have made commitments to not sell the genetically modified fish, they say threatens to harm the environment, pollute the genetics of native salmon and undermine the livelihood of fishermen.

In a statement to The Hill, Costco said scientific research is being conducted and oversight of GMO foods falls under the FDA’s area of responsibility.

“The FDA has not approved the sale of GMO salmon,” the company said. “Costco has no​t sold and does not ​ intend​ ​to​ sell GMO salmon at this time.”

Read full, original post: Consumer groups urge Costco to publicly reject GMO salmon

{{ reviewsTotal }}{{ options.labels.singularReviewCountLabel }}
{{ reviewsTotal }}{{ options.labels.pluralReviewCountLabel }}
{{ options.labels.newReviewButton }}
{{ userData.canReview.message }}
screenshot at  pm

Are pesticide residues on food something to worry about?

In 1962, Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring drew attention to pesticides and their possible dangers to humans, birds, mammals and the ...
glp menu logo outlined

Newsletter Subscription

* indicates required
Email Lists
glp menu logo outlined

Get news on human & agricultural genetics and biotechnology delivered to your inbox.