Since the introduction of the AquaAdvantage Salmon in the Canadian market, the future of genetically modified food has been wondered about greatly. Beyond creating livestock which can grow larger and faster than before, and thus be more profitable, there are undoubtedly many possibilities for the future of genetically modified food.
Disease-Free Animals
Scientists are now working on pigs which are resistant to disease, as well as chickens that are resistant to bird flu. Genetically modifying animals to be resistant to o
ften deadly diseases has the potential not just to provide them with a much better quality of life, but to also be more profitable to farmers, with fewer drugs being needed for treating the animals, and a higher chance of all animals reaching the stage of slaughter.
AquaAdvantage Salmon demonstrated that bringing a genetically modified animal product to the market is possible, but it took 25 years before this product was approved for consumption by humans. It can take a long time for new technologies to make it, and some never do, so scepticism should be encouraged while waiting to see if more genetically modified animal products reach our shelves.
