American Morning
Food policy expert talks safety of modified salmon
(CNN) – The Food and Drug Administration is considering right now – and have been for the past few days – whether to allow genetically engineered salmon to be sold in grocery stores.The industry says it is safe but critics aren’t convinced. William Hallman, director of the food policy institute at Rutgers, joined Wednesday's American Morning to discuss what implications there may be introducing the product into stores and what consumers need to know.
Kiran Chetry: Is it safe?
William Hallman: Well, the FDA says it is. What the scientists are saying is they can find really no differences between this genetically modified salmon and conventionally bred salmon.
John Roberts: You have to wonder, though, if you're bathing it in growth hormone 12 months of the year as opposed to staging it in seasons and cycles, might you be introducing something into the food chain there that people could react to maybe a food allergy?
William Hallman: Well, that's a question that the FDA has really looked at. And you know, you as a human being are bathed in growth hormone all the time, as well. It's just a question of really how much. This is a natural hormone. It's not anything that's unnatural. It just allows the fish to grow winter and summer.
John Roberts: Shouldn't consumers have – and don't they want the right to know?
William Hallman: Well, yeah, and that's the other side of the argument. What environmental groups and consumer groups are saying is that consumers should have sovereignty. They have the right to know. They should get a chance to choose which of the products they want to take home and feed to their families. But what the FDA is saying, well, if you label this as genetically modified, people will interpret that as a warning label. And that's almost kind of a false advertising, it implies something that isn't true.
Bullied girl's dad: 'I was going to be her protector'
(CNN) – On September 3, a Lake Mary, Florida, father jumped onto his daughter’s school bus and confronted bullies who he says had been tormenting the girl over the previous three days. James Jones was captured on bus surveillance video yelling and threatening kids on the bus. Jones has publicly apologized but may face two second-degree misdemeanor charges of disorderly conduct and disturbing a school function.
Jackson said that Jones and his wife did not inform the school that their daughter was being bullied. The girl has cerebral palsy. The bullying was so traumatizing, Jones says his daughter is currently hospitalized. James Jones and his lawyer, Natalie Jackson, joined us on Wednesday's American Morning.
Official defends Obama ahead of revelations in Woodward book
(CNN) – A senior administration official defended President Barack Obama on Wednesday as a decisive commander-in-chief ahead of next week's release of a book that reveals an administration deeply divided over U.S. strategy in Afghanistan.
"Obama's Wars," by veteran Washington journalist Bob Woodward, describes a frustrated president who urgently sought an exit plan, only to be provided with options that involved increased U.S. troop levels, the Washington Post reported Wednesday. Woodward is associate editor of the newspaper.
Woodward takes readers behind the scenes in the Obama White House through accounts of closed-door strategy sessions, private conversations, internal memos and hours of interviews with key players.
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Fish or Frankenfish? The FDA debates the issue
(CNN) – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration held a hearing Tuesday as it considers genetically engineered salmon for human consumption. The hearing specifically focused on the food labeling policies that might be made for the AquAdvantage Salmon.
Speakers included AquaBounty Technologies Chief Executive Officer Dr. Ron Stotish; Alison L. Van Eenennaam of the University of California Davis; and Abby Brandel, Associate Chief Counsel at Food and Drug Administration
Consumer protection advocates said food should be labeled as such if it derives from a genetically modified organism. AquaBounty, on the other hand, argued that genetically modified salmon should not be required to display additional labeling as it has the same qualities as the non-GMO Atlantic salmon.
“We do not believe there is any material difference between AquAdvantage Salmon and an Atlantic salmon. This fish meets the definition as defined and accepted by the FDA,” said Stotish.
“I think we all can understand the label can play an important role in consumer purchase decisions and dietary choices,” said Abby Brandel. She added that “the FDA may not be able to require this information, it's important to note that a company can choose to include this information on a food label [or] can choose to provide the information about whether a food is or is not made from a GE organism.”
Currently, the FDA does not require special labeling for foods developed using recombinant DNA techniques.
Alison L. Van Eenennaam questioned the push for labeling, “…when we do not have or require analogous information on the fish we currently consume.”
The final verdict on GMO salmon’s place in the consumer marketplace has not been made.
Sound off: We want to hear from you this morning. Would you eat genetically modified salmon? Add your comments to the LIVE Blog below and we'll read some of them on the show.
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