Giving Compass' Take:

· The New Food Economy reveals a few of the animals that have been genetically modified and engineered and the fears of public perception that kept them from public knowledge.

· Why are animals tested on and modified if there is no intent to reveal them? Is genetic engineering animals a sign of advancing medicine for humans for the future?

· Learn about the GMO debate in reaching global food security.

You’ve probably heard the news that genetically engineered (GE) Atlantic salmon is on the way. A fish that grows at twice the speed of conventionally raised salmon with 20 percent less feed, and without the vaccinations sometimes needed to treat wild-caught salmon, could be a silver bullet for the seafood industry.

And with the recent announcement that AquaBounty, the publicly traded company behind this super-salmon, would soon start growing the fish in an Indiana facility, you’d be forgiven for thinking that grocery stores full of other GE animals are just around the corner.

But you’d be wrong. In fact, AquAdvantage is poised to be the first of its kind: An animal genetically engineered for food. Other GE animals have been developed, bred, and tested. But politics and public fears—not to mention a byzantine regulatory system—have kept them off our plates.

Here are six other genetically engineered animals that never made it as far downstream as the AquAdvantage salmon:

  1. Mastitis-resistant livestock
  2. Enviropig
  3. Bird flu-resistant poultry
  4. “Healthy” pigs
  5. PRRS-resistant pig
  6. Hornless holsteins

Read the full article about genetically engineered animals by Sam Bloch at The New Food Economy.