Agriculture & Food
We eat to live. Humans use approximately 11% of Earth’s land for the cultivation of crops for food, but also for clothing, medicine and biofuels. Globally, major crops include sugarcane, pumpkin, maize (corn), wheat, rice, cassava, soybeans, hay, potatoes and cotton.
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“Organic” is one of the most confusing labels, report says
The label “organic” is one of the most confusing for consumers, says a new report by the Natural Foods Merchandiser ...
Crops that can genetically modify their pests
Imagine a future in which genetically engineered plants are able to genetically engineer -- and thereby defeat -- their own ...
Natural products industry conflicted over GM labelling
The trade groups in the natural products industry often collaborate, advocating for the same or similar policies on Capitol Hill, ...
GMOs and the American Chestnut: Risky Business?
How far out on a limb would you go to bring back an icon of the American forest? First, a ...
European scientists warn of dangers of “Precautionary Science”
Eighteen scientists recently weighed in on the unscientific and dangerous nature of the so-called "precautionary principle" in the July issue ...
UK: Ordinary laboratory animals are outnumbered by GM counterparts for first time
The following is an edited excerpt. The number of genetically modified (GM) animals used in scientific research in Britain has ...
Modifying Africa 10 years on: is public opinion shifting?
It's over a decade since I ghost-wrote Modifying Africa for well-known Kenyan biotechnologist Florence Wambugu. At the time the book ...
You can put lipstick on a pig (GE feeding study), but it still stinks
The following is an edited excerpt. The tiny cadre of anti-biotechnology activists who reside in the scientific community are perverting ...
Can ‘Frankenfish’ survive politics?
The following is an edited excerpt. Sometime this summer or soon after, the federal Food and Drug Administration may finally ...
President of World Food Prize Foundation: Ag’s huge challenge is growing ever more larger
My friend Rekha Basu wrote a tough column in the June 30 Sunday Register that was sharply critical of the ...
Monsanto to withdraw EU approval requests for new GE crops
Monsanto Co said on Wednesday it will withdraw all pending approval requests to grow new types of genetically modified crops ...
Chobani yogurt targeted by anti-GE activists
The following is an edited excerpt. Chobani yogurt, one of the country's fastest-growing CPG brands, is the latest to come ...
Big money in Washington state labeling fight
The following is an edited excerpt. Although it's still early in the game the fight in our state over Initiative ...
European bee policy criticized by industry
The new Guidance Document on Risk Assessment of Plant Protection Products on Bees sets unrealistic expectations and enforces measures that ...
Canada: Challenges to bee health are complex, banning neonicotinoids is not the answer
The following is an edited excerpt. The complexity of the issues facing bee health is, unfortunately, too frequently being overlooked ...
Hungary destroys all Monsanto GE crop fields
Hungary has destroyed 1000 acres of maize found to have been grown with Monsanto's genetically modified seeds, according to Hungary ...
Oregon: Groups battle GM crops using tactics from the fracking fight
Groups across Oregon are working to ban genetically modified crops at the county level through initiative petitions. Many of these ...
Biotech ups food production, won’t feed world alone
Biotech's focus on increasing food production ignores the fact that mass hunger exists alongside a huge surplus ...
Farmers’ fear of Monsanto no basis for lawsuit
Farmers attempting to preemptively sue Monsanto lost their case: irrational fear of a patent holder is insufficient to support declaratory ...
Indian president backs GE crops
The following is an edited excerpt. In what could be sweet news for the supporters of genetically modified (GM) technology, ...
How weeds evolve
Depending on your point of view, barnyardgrass is a nightmare or a marvel. That’s because it’s a supremely triumphant weed ...
Grist story on ‘superweeds’ attempts to demonize biotech by describing evolution
Biotech crops, which represent almost all the corn, soy, and cotton grown in the U.S., have finally met their match ...
Bangladesh: GE eggplant set for approval
Bangladeshi scientists have readied the country’s first genetically modified (GM) crop — brinjal (also known as eggplant) infused with pest-resistant ...
GE labeling bill gets backing from natural-food, supplement group
The nation’s largest trade group for natural products is getting behind a legislative effort to require that consumers know when ...
Washington: State’s GE labeling battle attracts national interest
A national fight over labeling of genetically engineered foods is touching down in Washington this fall, fueled by money from ...
What’s the value of an “organic” label?
Supermarkets in North America and Europe are overflowing with organic-labelled fruit, vegetables, eggs and meats but consumers willing to pay ...
Grist: Genetic engineering versus natural breeding?
With a full understanding of the science, is genetic engineering really all that different than traditional breeding ...
