1.Major US supermarkets to boycott GM salmon
2.Coming to a Grocery Store Near You: The Campaign for GE-Free Seafood!

TAKE ACTION: Click here to sign a petition to other US grocery stores making it clear consumers don't want GM salmon or other genetically engineered seafood
  https://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/455/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=12854

Check out the Campaign for Genetically Engineered (GE)-Free Seafood.
 http://www.foe.org/gefreeseafood
---
---
1.Major US supermarkets to boycott GM salmon
Suzanne Goldenberg, US environment correspondent
The Guardian, 20 March 2013
 http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2013/mar/20/major-us-supermarkets-boycott-gm-salmon

*Aldi and Whole Foods among retailers refusing to sell product
*FDA decision due on whether GM salmon allowed onto market

A number of US supermarket chains pledged on Wednesday not to sell genetically modified salmon, in a sign of growing public concern about engineered foods on the dinner table.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is in the final stages of deciding whether to allow GM salmon on to the market. If approved, AquaBounty Technology's salmon would be the first genetically engineered animal to enter the food supply.

The company combined genes from two species of salmon with a pouter eel to produce a fish it says it can bring to market twice as fast as conventional salmon.

The GM salmon is the first in some 30 other species of genetically engineered fish under development, including tilapia. Researchers are also working to bring GM cows, chickens and pigs to market.

However, those plans could be blocked by Wednesday's commitment not to sell genetically engineered seafood from national grocery chainsincluding Trader Joe's, Aldi and Whole Foods, as well as regional retailers.

Between them, the chains control about 2,000 outlets – a fraction of supermarkets across the country. But campaigners said they represent a growing segment of the population that is concerned about GM food, and willing to pay higher prices for healthier foods.

Eric Hoffman, a campaigner for Friends of the Earth, said in a statement: "Now it's time for other food retailers, including Walmart, Costco and Safeway, to follow suit and let their customers know they will not be selling unlabelled, poorly studied genetically engineered seafood."

Trudy Bialic from PCC Natural Markets, a chain of health food stores in Washington state, said: "We won't sell genetically engineered fish because we don't believe it is sustainable or healthy."

There was no immediate response from AquaBounty, a struggling biotechnology firm which has spent nearly 20 years trying to bring the fish to market. The company has hit a number of financial crisis points over the past few years, relying on research grants and investors to stay in operation.

Last year the company turned to a former Soviet oligarch, Georgian billionaire and former economics minister Kakha Bendukidze, for a bailout.

As the FDA review process enters its final stages, campaign groups have are pushing retailers not to stock the product and tapping into growing awareness in America about GM foods.

Voters in California and other states have been pushing for labels on GM foods. Meanwhile, the Whole Foods chain announced earlier this month it would begin labelling foods containing GM corn and soybean by 2018.

Critics of GM salmon say the FDA has not conducted proper oversight of the fish, which are raised from eggs hatched in a facility in Prince Edward Island, Canada, and grown to maturity in tanks in a remote area of Panama, to ensure they can not escape into the wild.

They say there is insufficient data to back up AquaBounty's claims its salmon can grow to maturity twice as fast as wild salmon. They also dispute the company's claims that there is no increased risk to people with allergies.

Those concerns were amplified by the FDA's preliminary finding that there was no need to label GM salmon.

Patty Lovera of the campaign group Food and Water Watch said it was not clear what effect the supermarkets' move would have on the FDA's decision, which is supposed to be focused on science.

But she said she hoped the growing public opposition to GM salmon – even before its approval – would push retailers to think twice about stocking the fish or more than 30 other varieties of GM seafood currently under development.

"It reinforces that there is no demand or no need for this product, so why does the FDA need to approve it?" she said. "If this many stores are willing to say 'no' ahead of time, I think that is a pretty strong signal that there is not a lot of demand."
---
---
2.Coming to a Grocery Store Near You: The Campaign for GE-Free Seafood!
Eric Hoffman 
FoE, March 20 2013    
 http://civileats.com/2013/03/20/coming-to-a-grocery-store-near-you-the-campaign-for-ge-free-seafood/

Friends of the Earth is excited to announce our new campaign to prevent genetically engineered fish from hitting our dinner plates: the Campaign for Genetically Engineered (GE)-Free Seafood.
 http://www.foe.org/gefreeseafood

As we recently reported, the U.S. Food & Drug Administration is in the final stages of approving genetically engineered salmon for human consumption. If approved, it would be the first-ever genetically engineered animal allowed to enter the U.S. food supply. To make matters worse, the FDA has stated that it will likely not require genetically engineered fish to be labeled, providing consumers no way of avoiding it at the market. Without a label, consumers wouldn’t even be able to “vote with their wallets” for natural fish over the genetically engineered option.

Now for the good news: Through the Campaign for GE-Free Seafood, we’re identifying companies that have policies to not sell genetically engineered seafood, providing a way for consumers to safely buy seafood without unknowingly purchasing genetically engineered fish.

As part of our campaign, we’ve asked the nation’s top grocery stores to commit to not selling genetically engineered seafood and we are already seeing amazing results. Some of the biggest grocery stores in the U.S. have stated that they will not sell genetically engineered seafood, including Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, Aldi, Marsh Supermarkets and PCC Natural Markets.

This is huge news. These stores represent a significant portion of the U.S. market and, by agreeing to not sell genetically engineered seafood, they are showing their staunch support for consumers’ rights. But our work is not done yet.

There are still many grocery stores–including Walmart, Costco and Safeway–that may soon be selling unlabeled genetically engineered fish to their customers. It’s essential that, as consumers, we speak up for our right to know what foods we feed our families by encouraging these stores to not carry genetically engineered seafood.

Don’t see your favorite grocery store on the list of signers? Click here to sign a petition to other grocery stores and make it clear that consumers do not want genetically engineered salmon or other genetically engineered seafood in their neighborhood markets.
 https://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/455/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=12854

Our campaign is just ramping up, so be sure to check out our website at www.gefreeseafood.org for updates as we continue to add more stores, restaurants and chefs to the list. And take action today to tell your favorite grocery stores you don’t want to purchase genetically engineered seafood by asking them to Sign the Pledge for GE-Free Seafood.
 https://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/455/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=12854

Thanks to our partners: Alaska Marine Conservation Council, Alliance for Natural Health USA, American Anti-Vivisection Society, Animal Welfare Institute, Cascadia Wildlands, Center for Biological Diversity, Center for Environmental Health, Center for Food Safety, Consumer Federation of America, Consumers Union, Food Democracy Now!, Food & Water Watch, Global Alliance Against Industrial Aquaculture, Gloucester fishermen’s Wives Association, Go Wild Campaign, Healthy Child Healthy World, Humane Society of the United States, Humane Society Veterinary Medical Association, Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, Institute for Responsible Technology, Mangrove Action Project, Massachusetts Fishermen’s Partnership, National Family Farm Coalition, National Organic Coalition, Northwest Atlantic Marine Alliance, Organic Consumers Association, Sierra Club, Waikiki Hawaiian Civic  Club, Wild Salmon First.

And thanks to the stores for taking a lead on this important issue. Here’s to a future with real seafood and a safe, sustainable food system.