FDA Approves Eating Lab-Made Pigs; Here's Why

Whether you are on the market filling your cart with your grocery supplies, or you are on your local meat shop, pork may not be out of your grocery list.

From barbecues, pork, and beans and stir fry vegetables, pork will be present to complement the dishes you love to eat with your families.

Pork is filling your tables and providing nutrients for your body for a long time already, but did you know that the pigs, the animal who gives you that sumptuous meal also has other benefits?

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FDA Approval

FDA Approves Genetic Alteration of Pigs for Food and Eliminating Alpha-Gal Sugar

(Photo : Lukas Schulze)
Piglets stand in a stall at a pig farm on July 02, 2020 near Kempen, Germany. Many hog farms across the state of North Rhine-Westphalia are fearing possible losses due to the temporary closure of several large slaughterhouses due to coronavirus outbreaks among slaughterhouse workers. The biggest outbreak has been at the Toennies plant in Rheda-Wiedenbrueck, where over 1,500 workers out of a workforce of approximately 7,000 have tested positive. So far no date has been set for when the Toennies plant will reopen.

Recently, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approves a novel way of utilizing pork not just to fill the stomachs of Americans but also aims to eliminate alpha-gal sugar found on the surface of the pigs' cells.

The FDA News Release reports that the process is the first genomic alteration (IGA) that involves domestic pigs that can be used for consumption and human medications.

Stat News mentions FDA commissioner Stephen Hahn's statement saying that the process is the first biotechnological product that can be a milestone for scientific innovation.

Also called GalSafe pigs, the FDA adds that the innovation can be useful to people with Alpha-gal Syndrome (AGS), which according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is a condition where individuals are not able to enjoy red meat because of a certain sugar molecule present among mammals.

Chemical and Engineering News adds that aside from food consumption, GalSafe pigs developed by Revivicor can be also utilized in producing drugs such as blood thinner heparin that does not contain the allergen or tissues and organs that are less likely to be rejected in patients who are going to receive transplants.

Stat News also mentions director of the FDA's Center for Veterinary Medicine, Steven Solomon words in a conference call with reporters saying there have been four previous approvals for genetic engineering in animals. He adds that three of those are for biomedical purposes and one is for food consumption. However, he furthers that there are non-approvals for both food consumption and biomedicine.

Meanwhile, the FDA release stresses that the federal agency's review process did not evaluate food safety specifics to those with AGS or Alpha-gal Syndrome since the developers of the product did not comprise data regarding elimination or prevention of food allergies.

However, Solomon adds in Chemical and Engineering News that the agency evaluated the safety of the genetic alteration in GalSafe pigs and firmly states that the product is safe for consumption by the general population.

Alpha-gal Syndrome (AGS)

According to CDC, the Alpha-gal is a sugar molecule found in most mammals which are found to be allergens for some individuals. They add that Alpha-gal is not present in fish, reptiles, birds, and people.

This only means that people with Alpha-gal syndrome are not able to enjoy red meat because they are allergic to it.

Office for the Assistant Secretary for Health adds that unlike most of the food allergies, AGS reaction occurs 3-6 hours after consuming meat such as pork, beef, venison, rabbit, and lamb meat. The office adds that the prolonged delay poses challenges in diagnosis.

With this product, genetically engineered pigs or GalsSafe pigs will now be enjoyed by people who are suffering from AGS, alongside the opening of a new avenue for medical advancements.

Check out more news and information on Allergic Reaction and Medical Breakthrough on MD News Daily.