Daily Food & Ag 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.
Infographic: ‘There is no clear evidence that differences between organic and conventionally grown foods have any bearing on health’
Yes, there are some differences between organically grown food and food produced using conventional methods, said Siv Kjølsrud Bøhn at ...
Kenyan scientists deploy CRISPR to protect bananas from diseases threatening to wipe out the world’s most popular variety
All the cultivated banana varieties are susceptible to diseases — and Banana xanthomonas wilt (BXW) is particularly problematic. BXW is ...
Replacing industrial produced fertilizers: Specially-bred soil-enriching bacteria poised to dramatically cut crop chemical inputs, protecting farms and the climate
[A]s the world’s demand for agricultural products has grown, the nutrients needed to grow all our crops has far outpaced ...
3D printing moves from the factory to the food on your dinner table
There are already several meat substitutes options available – some are already on sale at fast-food chains – but, no ...
Gene editing has ‘limitless potential’ to reduce malnutrition, says global food expert
Gene editing is a tool with unlimited potential to help reduce malnutrition globally, said Dr. Lawrence Haddad, executive director of ...
Viewpoint: How European ‘precautionary politics’ hobble Kenya’s attempts to embrace biotechnology
Europe has now changed the way it approves pesticides, with its decisions no longer based on science or international testing ...
US honeybee boom: ‘Not only are they not in decline or endangered, their increase in numbers may be responsible for declines in other bee populations’
Today, more than 2.98 million honeybee colonies are currently registered in the United States, according to the US Department of ...
As Switzerland faces decision whether to renew its ban on genetically modified crops, consumer resistance shows signs of fading
We often hear that Swiss consumers want their agriculture to be free from genetic engineering. But consumer acceptance of genetically ...
Edible but ugly: Bruised apples and spotty potatoes never make it to supermarket shelves. Tweaking crop genes could feed billions and help address climate change
Farming has a major food waste problem. Approximately 40 per cent of the food produced globally goes uneaten every year, ...
Farms of the future: Precision growing, smart robotics and AI usher in new era of agriculture
Smart solutions allow farmers to exactly understand the crop needs and plan activities correspondingly, which saves costs and reduces environmental ...
‘We’re simultaneously reducing our reliance on crop-protection products and getting better at killing weeds’: Crop biotechnology and other innovations provide pesticide alternatives
Controlling weeds is all about balance: We must balance the needs of the plants we want to grow and those ...
‘Organic alone cannot feed the world,’ says Swiss organic agricultural scientist at UN World Food Summit
On September 23, heads of state and specialist ministers [met] at the United Nations World Food Summit. As a member ...
From plant-based fillets to sushi cultivated in a lab, fish-free seafood has arrived
Plant-based products have been breaking into the foodie mainstream in the United States, after years in which vegan burgers and ...
Viewpoint: Golden Rice approval fallout — ‘Greenpeace has transitioned from an organization concerned about the environment to one that fights against improved food security and reduced childhood blindness’
In late July 2021, the Philippines became the first country on the planet to approve Golden Rice for production and human ...
Underwater farming? Biosphere grows strawberries, basil and lettuce deep in the Mediterranean
Strawberries, basil and lettuce are flourishing in a new biosphere farm anchored to the floor of the Mediterranean Sea off ...
Viewpoint: European political opposition to genetically modified crops softens while US anti-glyphosate hysteria rages
Unlike America, Europe has traditionally been highly cautious of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) – specifically, crops for animal feed and ...
Gene editing: Powerful tool for managing climate change
Growing up, my family spent summer weekends on the beaches of New York State. Riding in a car packed with ...
Repurposed mushrooms could make an animal-free, vegan beer — all while using up food waste
It’s not common knowledge, but not all beers out there are vegan. Some brands use finings in the brewing process ...
EU politicians move to implement controversial Green Deal Farm to Fork agricultural policy — but reject scientific sustainability assessments of its impact
Industry has repeatedly signalled its commitment to innovate in support of both Green Deal and the Farm to Fork Strategy ...
GMO eggplant is documented win for resource-poor farmers
Insect-resistant brinjal, or eggplant, is arguably the most impactful project to bring agricultural biotechnology to resource-poor farmers. Studies show that ...
Food safety survey: Consumers concerned with ‘dangerous’ natural chemicals and food-borne illnesses first, while pesticide worries are a distant fourth
The latest annual food industry survey demonstrates that U.S. consumers continue to have significant concerns about chemicals in food. Specifically, the survey ...
‘We need new tools including genetic engineering’: Climate change is terrible for crops, but great for weeds
By the end of the century, scientists expect climate change to reduce corn yield significantly, with some estimating losses up ...
Insects: The sustainable future of food and feed?
Call it protein on the fly, on the shuffle or on the crawl. Insects are the future of food, offering ...
Viewpoint: Organic only experiment in Sri Lanka goes awry — ‘The government would do well to listen to the country’s agricultural scientists and not to quacks masquerading as experts’
[Sri Lankan] President Rajapaksa’s ill-conceived and extremist policy, announced in April this year, of banning the import of all chemical ...
Viewpoint: ‘Lots of pain for little environmental gain’ — EU Farm to Fork strategy would reduce yields by 15%, cutting farmer incomes and increasing imports
The [European] Commission has finally released a study on the impact of its F2F and Biodiversity Strategy proposals on the ...
As the dairy industry inches toward adopting ‘regenerative agriculture’ practices, tensions emerge between large-scale operations and anti-corporate purists
Danone, General Mills (maker of Yoplait yogurt and Häagen-Dazs ice cream, among other big dairy brands), and yogurt maker Stonyfield ...
Zimbabwean farmers push for GMO cotton approval after South Africa, Sudan, Botswana, Malawi and Burkina Faso see increased outputs and poverty reduction
[Cotton] is the second most important cash crop in Zimbabwe (after tobacco) in terms of export earnings (earnings of US$30,1 ...
