The Guardian

The billionaire behind the world’s first genetically modified salmon

Intrexon, a $2.2bn company headed by Randal Kirk, quietly began selling transgenic salmon, after making apples that don’t brown and cloning pets
Labels on bags of snack foods indicate they are non-GMO food products, in Los Angeles, California, October 19, 2012. California could become the first US state to enforce labeling of genetically modified foodstuffs also know as GMO's, in a vote next month pitting agro-chemical manufacturing giants against die-hard opponents of so-called 'frankenfoods.' The state will vote on November 6 ? the same day as the White House election ? on the ballot initiative, which backers claim will let consumers know exactly what they are eating, but critics say will pander to unjustified fears about genetic engineering. AFP PHOTO / ROBYN BECK / Getty Images

If you want to sample the world’s first animal to be genetically engineered in the name of dinner, good luck finding it. If, on the other hand, you would never eat such a thing – good luck avoiding it.

Tons of lab-developed salmon was sold in Canada last year without any packaging labeling it as a product of science, and the company that created and raises the fish, AquaBounty, won’t release the names of food distributors it sells to.

Giant restaurant supply companies, such as Sysco, deny ever having carried the product. Grocery store chains far and wide – including Costco, Sobeys and Loblaws – say they have not, and will not, stock it. Restaurants Canada, the industry group for the country’s food service industry, says it

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from The Guardian

The Guardian8 min read
PinkPantheress: ‘I Don’t Think I’m Very Brandable. I Dress Weird. I’m Shy’
PinkPantheress no longer cares what people think of her. When she released her lo-fi breakout tracks Break it Off and Pain on TikTok in early 2021, aged just 19, she did so anonymously, partly out of fear of being judged. Now, almost three years late
The Guardian4 min read
The Golden Bachelor’s Older Singletons Have Saved A Franchise
Strange as it may sound, one of the hottest shows on TV this fall has been … an old dating series now catering, for once, to senior citizens. That would be The Golden Bachelor, a new spin-off of America’s pre-eminent dating series in which a 72-year-
The Guardian6 min readRobotics
Robot Dogs Have Unnerved And Angered The Public. So Why Is This Artist Teaching Them To Paint?
The artist is completely focused, a black oil crayon in her hand as she repeatedly draws a small circle on a vibrant teal canvas. She is unbothered by the three people closely observing her every movement, and doesn’t seem to register my entrance int

Related Books & Audiobooks