Several restaurant chains and supermarkets in Quebec, Canada, have said they won’t use or sell AquaBounty's genetically modified salmon, following news that the company began sales of its products for use in sushi in the province earlier this year.
Aki Sushi, which operates two restaurants and sushi stations inside 91 Metro supermarkets, as well as Yuzu Sushi, which operates 66 restaurants and 50 IGA stations, have both committed to not selling AquAdvantage salmon, according to Vigilance OGM, a network of non-governmental organizations in Quebec.
Metro, a large Canadian grocery chain, has also said it will not sell the AquAdvantage salmon, Thibault Rehn, coordinator of Vigilance OGM, told SeafoodSource. Sobeys, Loblaw, and Costco Canada have also pledged not to sell AquAdvantage salmon.
Several seafood businesses in Quebec have also said they will not sell AquAdvantage salmon, according to Vigilance OGM. They include importers DOM International Limited and Seafood Lagoon, as well as distributors Food Flavors of the World and A & E Distribution.
Fishmongers including Odessa Fishmonger, Fishmonger La Moulière, Crazy Islands, and Sherbrooke Fish Market have also committed not to sell GMO salmon, along with seafood smokers Smokey Bay Seafood Company and Smoked Good Side Inc.
In early September, at the 20th Annual Global Investment Conference in New York, New York, U.S.A., AquaBounty CEO Ronald Stotish announced his company had sold five metric tons of AquAdvantage salmon “primarily for use as sashimi and other high-end applications." However, Stotish did not reveal the buyer or buyers.
"We want transparency. Quebec is the only place in the world people are eating a genetically modified animal, and people want to have the choice,” Rehn said. “They [AquaBounty] want to hide it, instead of promoting to the world who is buying it.”
Rehn is concerned that sales of non-GMO salmon in Canada may be harmed by AquaBounty.
“We see on social media consumers saying, ‘I don’t want to buy any salmon, because I don’t know if it is genetically modified,’” Rehn said.
However, AquaBounty has found “very enthusiastic” buyers in Canada, according to Stotish. In addition, while some businesses and consumers oppose the AquAdvantage salmon, the Canadian government recently gave AquaBounty a CAD 2 million (USD 1.5 million, EUR 1.3 million) loan so the supplier can complete its Rollo Bay, Prince Edward Island farm.
But in a possible complication for the company, the new Quebec government – the Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) – recently said that it would make the labeling of GMOs mandatory.
“Consumers are entitled to know what makes up the food they consume. It is a matter of public interest that enjoys a broad consensus in society,” CAQ said.
Vigilance OGM has also asked the government of Canada for a “deep environmental assessment” on AquaBounty’s new Prince Edward Island facility.
“This facility is very close to where there is wild salmon - even if it is on land,” Rehn said.
AquaBounty should also “consult the industry, consumers, and fishermen in Prince Edward Island to determine if they want the product,” Rehn said.
