The Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.A.-based wholesale restaurant supplier [Samuels & Sons] is giving [AquaBounty’s] RAS-raised GE salmon a shot, despite the product facing boycotts from major foodservice companies in the U.S. like Aramark and Sodexo and vocal opposition from environmental advocacy groups opposed to aquaculture and genetic engineering.

“As a company, we’ve always liked to be at the front of the line. We’ve been following AquaBounty for a long time as they’ve developed this product and it’s nice to see it to finally come to fruition,” Joe Lasprogata, the director of purchasing at Samuels & Sons, told SeafoodSource. “We’ve been doing this for a long time and have seen a lot of new products come to market. Some of them make it and some of them don’t. But we’re willing to give it a shot and share this with our customers, who ultimately decide whether a product is a success or not.”

Lasprogata said aquaculture operations including AquaBounty’s provide benefits such as a lower carbon footprint for the industry without substantial transportation costs. AquAdvantage salmon also process feed more efficiently, he said.

“There are a lot of benefits to aquaculture and what AquaBounty specifically is doing. We want to make sure our customers have the correct information while making seafood choices and aren’t misled,” he said.

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