FDA quietly approves lab-grown salmon without public input – should you be worried?

(NaturalHealth365)  The FDA just gave the green light to America’s first lab-grown salmon, and here’s what should concern anyone who cares about food safety: the entire approval process was based solely on the manufacturer’s own safety claims.  No independent testing.  No public input.  No animal feeding trials before human consumption.

Wildtype Foods, backed by Jeff Bezos and Leonardo DiCaprio, is already serving their cultured salmon at high-end restaurants in Portland, with plans to expand nationwide.  But food safety experts are calling the FDA’s approval process “outrageous” and warning that critical safety questions remain unanswered.

When companies police themselves, who protects consumers?

The FDA’s approval letter reveals a troubling pattern: the agency simply accepted Wildtype’s conclusion that their lab-grown fish is “as safe as comparable foods produced by other methods.”  The FDA stated they “did not identify a basis” to dispute the company’s own safety assessment.

This represents a fundamental shift in how new foods get approved.  Unlike conventional salmon, which has a history of thousands of years of human consumption, this entirely new category of food underwent no independent safety verification.

Jaydee Hanson, policy director for the Center for Food Safety and expert in synthetic biology, called the approval “outrageous,” noting that the FDA allowed the company to use the “Generally Recognized as Safe” designation, originally intended for substances with extensive historical use by consumers.

“The ‘Generally Recognized as Safe’ designation was never intended for this,” Hanson explained.  “The FDA is negligent in allowing a company to use the self-approved generally recognized as safe method.”

The Big Pharma connection is raising red flags

Lab-grown meat production relies heavily on techniques borrowed from pharmaceutical manufacturing, which uses cultured cells for drug testing.  However, there is a crucial difference: when Big Pharma employs these methods, the end products undergo rigorous safety testing before being used in humans.

Wildtype’s process involves growing salmon cells in steel vats using what they call a “proprietary cell nutrient blend.”  The cells are fed undisclosed ingredients and treated with growth factors designed to stimulate rapid multiplication.

The company uses fibroblast growth factor-2 (FGF2) to accelerate cell growth.  While Wildtype claims they wash off this growth factor before the salmon reaches consumers, food safety experts worry about residual amounts and their potential to promote cancer-like cell development.

Hanson pointed out several concerning unknowns: “The company doesn’t divulge what it uses to give the salmon its pink color.  They likely need some kind of anti-bacterial product to keep the cells healthy, but it isn’t clear what product they’re using.”

States are taking action where the FDA won’t

Several states have recognized the potential risks and banned the sale of lab-grown meat entirely.  Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Montana, and Indiana have prohibited these products, with additional states considering similar legislation.

The bans reflect growing concern that federal regulators are moving too quickly to approve products without adequate safety testing or public oversight.

Missing safeguards that should alarm you

Unlike new pesticides that undergo extensive public review processes, even though they’re not directly consumed, the FDA approved this entirely new food category without inviting public comment.

The company wasn’t required to conduct animal feeding trials before selling to humans, a standard safety requirement for many food additives and novel ingredients.

No long-term studies have been conducted to assess potential health effects from consuming cells grown in laboratory conditions with artificial growth factors and undisclosed chemicals.

The bigger picture on food safety

This approval represents a concerning trend toward industry self-regulation in food safety.  When manufacturers are allowed to determine the safety of their products without independent verification, consumers become unwitting test subjects.

Many scientists who work in cell culturing could provide valuable insights about potential risks, but the FDA’s approval process excluded their input entirely.

The lack of transparency around production methods, growth factors, and additives means consumers can’t make informed decisions about whether to eat these products.

The cancer connection researchers are investigating

Food safety experts at the Center for Food Safety have raised specific concerns about the potential cancer-promoting properties associated with lab-grown meat production.  Their research reveals that companies are using genetically modified cell lines that “exhibit the characteristics of a cancerous cell.”

According to their analysis of company patents, Memphis Meats filed patents describing the creation of modified cell lines that involve “the activation or inactivation of various proteins responsible for tumor suppression.”  JUST Inc.’s patents describe using growth factors that “could promote the development of cancer-like cells in lab-cultured meat products.”

The Center for Food Safety notes that these rapidly growing genetically-modified cell lines are concerning because they “exhibit the characteristics of a cancerous cell, which include overgrowth of cells not attributed to the original characteristics of a population of cultured primary cells.”

Harvard Stem Cell Institute researchers have found that stem cell lines growing in lab environments “often acquire mutations in the TP53 (p53) gene, an important tumor suppressor responsible for controlling cell growth and division.”

While industry defenders claim that these immortalized cells aren’t dangerous, the Bloomberg investigation revealed that they are, “technically speaking, pre-cancerous and can be, in some cases, fully cancerous.”

Practical steps to protect yourself and your family

With federal regulators failing to ensure proper safety testing, consumers must take responsibility for their own protection:

Read labels carefully: Lab-grown meat may be labeled as “cultured,” “cell-based,” “cultivated,” or “lab-grown.”  Some products blend lab-grown cells with plant-based ingredients.

Check restaurant menus: High-end restaurants are the first adopters.  Ask servers about meat sourcing if you want to avoid these products.

Stay informed about approvals: Currently, Wildtype salmon, Upside Foods chicken, Good Meat chicken, and Mission Barns pork fat are approved in the US.

Support transparency legislation: Contact your representatives to advocate for clear labeling and independent safety testing of novel foods.

Choose traditional sources: Opt for organic meat from reputable sources, or select plant-based proteins such as organic legumes, nuts, and seeds.

Monitor state legislation: Several states have banned the production and sale of lab-grown meat.  Support local efforts for protective legislation.

The experts featured in Jonathan Landsman’s Stop Cancer Docu-Class have dedicated their careers to understanding how diet and environmental factors influence cancer risk and overall health.  Their insights become especially valuable as the food supply includes more artificially created products with undisclosed ingredients and manufacturing processes that bypass traditional safety protocols.

Sources for this article include:

FDA.gov
Childrenshealthdefense.org
Wildtypefoods.com
Greenqueen.com
Centerforfoodsafety.com
NIH.gov
Thefern.org
Frontiersin.org

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