U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) announced on Feb. 11 that she is lifting her hold on the confirmation of Dr. Robert Califf, the nominee to be Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration.
Murkowski announced she intended to block his nomination in November of 2015 after the FDA’s approval of genetically engineered salmon for human consumption. She wanted guidelines for how the GE salmon would be labeled set before any entered the U.S. market.
“I placed my hold on Dr. Califf’s nomination until my concerns regarding labeling guidelines for GE salmon had been resolved. Since then, I have been working closely with the FDA to develop labeling guidelines, and I have received the assurances I need that the FDA is taking this matter seriously,” said Murkowski. “I am officially lifting my hold on Dr. Robert Califf, and I look forward to working with him in the future for the health and well-being of Alaskans.”
According to AquaBounty technologies, the company that has produced the approved GE salmon, they have not yet begun to export any of their product to the U.S. and it might be a few years before it hits U.S. consumers.
