NOT ALL SALMON ARE CREATED EQUAL

A Question of Trust

Commerce is built on trust.

Every day consumers everywhere make purchases based on the merits of a particular product and confidence that the product will be a good buy because a friend or relative has recommended it, they have read about it, or have seen a favorable advertisement.

These daily interactions based on trust have helped grow the U.S. economy to staggering heights. But trust is a fragile thing: it can easily be undermined when companies place the profit motive ahead of the welfare of consumers or when corporate incompetence, negligence or hubris leads to tragic mistakes.

Labeling is a key aspect in promoting that spirit of trust because it gives consumers the information necessary to make informed purchases. The product label lists the product's ingredients or components and also may provide additional information on its safe use, cleaning, and disposal. Knowing what you buy is increasingly important to consumers concerned about health, the environment, and other issues.

But not everyone is happy to disclose product information. Take the case of the first genetically engineered (GE) animal intended for human consumption: the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is now getting ready to approve a transgenic salmon that grows at twice the normal rate. It was developed by Massachusetts-based AquaBounty Technologies and the FDA says that it will not require any special labeling for this product.

Why? The FDA's position is that GE foods are equivalent to conventional foods so they don't need to be labeled.

Genetic engineering is a controversial new technology that is altering food production everywhere around the planet. As befits the information age, consumers have every right to know what they are buying and consuming, all the more so in the case of a genetically engineered fish. According to the Center for Food Safety , a non-profit public interest and environmental advocacy group with offices in Washington, the amount of antibiotics given to transgenic fish may be higher than that given to farmed fish.

"Already farmed salmon are given more antibiotics than any other livestock by weight, threatening the health of those who eat them and the continued efficacy of these antibiotics to treat human disease," the organization warned in a recent online posting.

AquaBounty maintains the fish is a safe and healthy alternative to wild salmon. Furthermore, it will only breed sterile female salmon in contained facilities designed to prevent any fish from escaping into the wild, another source of concern. "Because salmon grown from AquAdvantage®eggs are nutritionally and biologically the same as any other Atlantic salmon the consumer purchases, there is no reason for it to be labeled as different. Voluntary labeling is sometimes acceptable, but would be the responsibility of the fish growers," the company said on its website.

You would think that a cutting-edge company would take great pride in identifying the revolutionary new product it is about to put on the table of American consumers. Apparently, the opposite is true. In the case of a hot potato like a genetically altered fish, the easiest option seems to be to sell the fish without any identifying labels that might discourage consumers from buying the product.

If a transgenic fish is safe to eat, why the need for secrecy?

This salmon needs to be labeled for what it is: a fish created by bioengineers who are tinkering with the genetic code of the animal kingdom. Not all fish are created equal and consumers need to know which are man-made and which were created by nature.

Honesty and transparency are the only way to go.

(On Nov. 18, a coalition of consumer, environmental, animal welfare and many other groups demanded that the FDA deny approval of the transgenic salmon or require mandatory labeling of the fish should approval proceed. The comment period on the labeling of GE salmon ends on Monday, Nov. 22.)

"The cure for anything is salt water: sweat, tears or the sea." Isak Dinesen

A SIMPLE TIP Fruit juices provide welcome refreshment at any time of the day but their high sugar content can also make them excessively sweet. Mixing juice with water will not only modulate the sweetness of the drink but, even better, will help you stretch your dollar.

Duly Noted 

-- Not familiar with JJill, purveyors of stylish women's clothing via retail outlets and the internet? Then, go to jill.com. This company is a real find, offering items for daily wear and special occasions that are smart yet easy going, with prices ranging from $23 to $190. Plus you can pick up some tremendous bargains by checking the site's sales pages. 

-- There is help out there for people who want to get involved in community service but don't know how to get started. AARP runs a website -- createthegood.org --dedicated to providing ideas and helpful advice on tackling different types of initiatives such as organizing a food drive, providing assistance to caregivers, or starting a community garden. There is also a Spanish version: compartiresvivir.org  

Editor's Note: If you are interested in Puerto Rico or wish to revisit some of the news stories that captivated newspaper readers in recent decades, then pick up a copy of "A Reporter's Notebook in Puerto Rico (1973-2010.)." Written by Gino Ponti, a police reporter for the now defunct The San Juan Star, the book is part biography, part short history of The San Juan Star, and part retelling of the stories that made Ponti's reputation as one of the island's finest journalists, including an investigative series that proved the innocence of a man incarcerated for seven years based on evidence fabricated by the police. Ponti's style of writing is so charmingly colloquial and his news stories so compelling and vividly described that one can forgive him the occasional repetition and copy editing lapses. The book is available at Borders in Plaza Las Americas and La Tertulia, in Río Piedras.

"There is no need for temples, no need for complicated philosophy. Our own brain, our own heart is our temple; the philosophy is kindness." Dalai Lama

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