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SW: →Regulation and Approval Process: fix link
The U.S. government will regulate the recombinant DNA in the salmon as a New Animal Drug (NAD). Thus, it falls under the regulatory authority of the FDA. A few weeks after issuing its initial finding that the GE salmon is safe to eat, the FDA held two public meetings on the issue September 19-21, 2010.<ref>[http://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/PublicHealthFocus/ucm224089.htm Public Meetings on Genetically Engineered Atlantic Salmon], U.S. FDA, Accessed September 7, 2010.</ref> The first, a meeting of the FDA's [[Veterinary Medicine Advisory Committee]] (VMAC) took place September 19-20, addressing the scientific issues associated with the approval of GE salmon. The second, a public hearing in which the FDA presented the legal principles for food labeling and offered the public an opportunity to comment, took place on September 21, 2010. Prior to the meetings, the FDA released a number of documents, including a briefing packet for the VMAC meeting describing the science used to determine the GE salmon's safety.<ref>[http://www.fda.gov/downloads/AdvisoryCommittees/CommitteesMeetingMaterials/VeterinaryMedicineAdvisoryCommittee/UCM224762.pdf Briefing Packet for AquAdvantage Salmon Veterinary Medicine Advisory Committee (PDF - 2506KB)], U.S. FDA.</ref>
The regulatory and approval process for the AquAdvantage salmon has been criticized for being insufficiently transparent, for failing to provide enough time for public comment, for failing to appoint experts with appropriate and sufficient expertise to the VMAC committee, and for accepting "sloppy" and "misleading" science as the basis for the FDA's initial decision that the GE salmon is safe.<ref>[http://www.consumersunion.org/pub/core_food_safety/016884.html Letter from Consumers Union to FDA About Concerns On VMAC Committee Members for GE Salmon Hearing], Consumers' Union, September 15, 2010, Accessed September 17, 2010.</ref><ref>[http://www.consumersunion.org/pdf/CU-comments-GE-salmon-0910.pdf Consumers Union’s Senior Scientist to Appear at Veterinary Medicine Advisory Committee Meeting on Genetically Engineered Salmon, September 19-20: Data Suggests Increased Allergy Risk; FDA Needs Much More Data Before Approval], Consumers' Union, September 17, 2010.</ref> For more information, see the article on the [[AquAdvantage Salmon FDA Approval Process]].
== Safety Testing of AquAdvantage Salmon ==
