"Salmon that has been genetically engineered to grow twice as fast as its natural counterpart inched a little closer toward the nation’s dinner tables on Friday."

"The Food and Drug Administration released its findings that the fish do not pose a threat to the environment and are 'as safe as food from conventional Atlantic salmon.'

That removed a key hurdle for a Massachusetts-based company seeking to market the modified salmon, which critics derisively have dubbed 'Frankenfish.'

But the move also reignited a long-running debate over whether a nation that already grows and consumes genetically modified plants such as corn and soybeans is prepared to make a similar leap when it comes to animals."

Brady Dennis reports for the Washington Post December 21, 2012. [2]