Daily Food & Agriculture Digest
Every day, the staff of the Genetic Literacy Project scours the Web for stories on a range of agricultural and food issues, including the GMO debate, conventional and organic farming, regulations, new breeding technologies and sustainability. We publish excerpts of those stories and encourage our readers to visit the original publications for the complete stories.
Forty years of food technology brought famine-riddled countries back from brink
In the mid-1970s, the outlook for food supplies around the world was grim. There were talks of "food triage" — food-rich ...
Genome editing more efficiently targets desirable traits in crops
A novel strategy to enhance genome editing promises to increase the efficiency of making genetic improvements in a wide range ...
New ‘Non-GMO’ label rolls out to promote organic production
California Certified Organic Farmers has released the "Non GMO & More" seal, which its members can use to verify that ...
China scientists facing ‘soft violence’ over GMO crops
China is about to get serious on the use of genetic modification (GM). After years of uncertainty, funding cuts and ...
Monsanto corn could be India’s first GM food crop
Monsanto’s Indian subsidiary expects to submit final trial results for its genetically modified (GM) corn to lawmakers within a year ...
GM opponents cloak value-based views in science
A new report out of the U.K. shows just how muddled discussion on genetically modified crops really is. Late last ...
Chemophobe activists vilify glyphosate, herbicide less toxic than many ‘natural’ alternatives
The latest scare tactic of the chemophobe lobby promotes the fear of chemicals in food. They seem oblivious to the ...
‘Contamination insurance’ for Australian non-GMO farmers?
Western Australian Greens Senator Rachel Siewert is calling for a national “contamination insurance scheme” to help protect farmers who choose not ...
Filipino farmers appeal ban on Bt eggplant
Farmers have urged the Filipino Supreme Court (SC) to junk the writ of kalikasan against Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) eggplant, saying that ...
Could spinach gene save orange industry?
Orange juice has been an American breakfast staple for decades, adding a much-needed pop of color (and vitamin C) to ...
New RNA gene technology fights potato beetles, reduces pesticides
Colorado potato beetles are a dreaded pest of potatoes all over the world. Since they do not have natural enemies ...
Despite big spending, food industry not winning GM labeling debate
Despite two decades of assurances from biotechnology firms, food processors, federal regulators and even a substantial share of scientists that ...
Humans have been playing god with farm crops for 1000s of years, and that’s okay
Some time ago I was listening to a BBC-podcast called ’the world history in 100 objects’. The episode centered around ...
Study: GMO labels won’t deter consumers
Food and biotechnology giants fighting against mandatory labeling of genetically engineered food (commonly known as GMOs) claim that it would ...
Non-GMO herbicide-tolerant sorghum to hit shelves 2017
Multiple herbicide-tolerant grain sorghum traits are coming soon to growers across the country and Alta Seeds breeder Ben Beyer took ...
UN human rights official worries about ‘corporate control’ of food
A United Nations (UN) representative undertaking a weeklong visit to the Philippines expressed her opposition to the use of Genetically Modified ...
Some see conspiracy instead of consensus on GMOs
Since when is the safety of genetically modified food considered “settled science” on a par with the reality of evolution? ...
Food movement glorifies organic food but disdains average farmers
I'm a dodo bird. Or maybe a passenger pigeon. As a corn and soybean farmer, a chemical spraying, fertilizer spreading, ...
Conflicting principles: Are anti-GMO groups abusing public records transparency laws?
A succession of stories in recent weeks involving scientists and open records requests have anguished many who cherish two ideals: academic ...
Bioethicist calls for tighter regulation of non transgenic gene edited crops
A survey of rice, wheat, barley, fruit, and vegetable crops found that most mutants created by advanced genetic engineering techniques ...
Liberal confession: 5 reasons why the left is no better than the right on GMOs, science
Anti-science rhetoric is coming from prominent left-wing figures like liberal talk show host Bill Maher. As a liberal myself — and ...
Is it a GMO? Smart phone scan could address label concerns, but anti-GMOers oppose it
In the ever-complicated debate over labeling of genetically modified foods, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack offers this idea: Use your smartphone ...
Common additives in processed foods could cause inflammatory diseases
The ingredients that lend a smooth, stable consistency to ice cream, chocolate bars, and other packaged snacks may promote certain ...
Dicamba-resistant crops aim to fight ‘superweeds’ but critics worry about environment
To counter a "superweed" epidemic plaguing farmers, agribusiness giant Monsanto is steadily moving forward on the introduction of its next ...
Cultural differences over food and GMOs dog US-Europe trade talks
Everyone in agriculture—from farmers, to agribusiness executives, to the professors who conduct agricultural research—says that decisions ranging from what to ...
Plant breeding blamed for gluten problems but evidence isn’t there
Wheat—and the main protein it contains, gluten—has been cited as a cause of weight gain, “brain fog,” skin rashes, joint ...
Watershed: Records requests reveal abusive tactics of extremist GMO opponents
U.S. “Right to Know” (US-RTK) is a lobby group opposed to genetic modification (GM), and with the mandate to implement ...
