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.
How epigenetics is poised to revolutionize food, farming and animal agriculture
Epigenetics studies the chemical compounds and proteins that can attach to DNA and direct the actions to turn a specific ...
6.3 billion tons of plastic: That’s how much waste we’ve generated. Fungus and bacteria might be part of the solution
Samantha Jenkins was studying a number of types of fungus in a research project for her company, when one of ...
‘So far, the clean meat industry has proven more adept at churning out optimistic timelines than it has at offering consumers an alternative to meat from animals’
So far, the [clean meat] industry has proven for more adept at churning out optimistic timelines than it has at ...
Net carbon zero by 2050? Here’s the reality behind the slogan
Over 120 countries — from highly industrialized nations like Canada, Germany, and the UK to developing economies such as Myanmar, ...
Breeding to battle potato late blight disease in Uganda: What once took 46 years, now takes just a few with biotechnology
[A new variety of] potato— named 3R potato— could help protect farming families… in Uganda and possibly elsewhere in Africa ...
Biotechnology is key to meeting UN’s goal of zero hunger worldwide by 2030
Agricultural biotechnology is a crucial tool for transforming global food systems to meet the United Nation’s goal of ensuring zero ...
Are biofuel vehicles a more sustainable alternative to electric battery-operated cars?
[I]n a recent article in the Los Angeles Times and related video, Evan Halper argues that we may be trading ...
Textile transformation: Turning recycled carbon emissions into athletic apparel
Recycling carbon is a fundamental element of the circular economy, which will keep fossil carbon in the ground, reducing pollution ...
Catastrophic claims of an ‘insect armageddon’ misrepresent the science
“The insect apocalypse is here,” said the New York Times in 2018. “Plummeting insect numbers ‘threaten collapse of nature’,” said ...
Insect farming is all the rage. Here’s why it might not be such a good idea
Interest in insect farming is booming. Insects have been heralded as a sustainable alternative to traditional animal agriculture, with a ...
Plastic into protein? It may seem far-fetched, but a ‘food generator’ is in the works
Two U.S. scientists have won a 1 million euro ($1.18 million) prize for creating a food generator concept that turns ...
With climate uncertainty rising, Asia looks to gene editing to meet growing food demands
There are about 688 million people undernourished in the world, of which 351 million – more than half — live ...
California appeals court upholds $86 million dollar glyphosate cancer verdict
Bayer lost a third appeal against U.S. court verdicts that awarded damages to customers blaming their cancers on use of ...
Viewpoint: Investing in regenerative agriculture is the latest self-congratulatory easy-fix trend in fashion. Here’s why it can’t solve all our problems
Investing in regenerative agriculture is the latest trend in fashion. This year, the Kering Luxury Group — home to brands ...
Cell-grown fish may beat lab-meat to the market
Cell-cultured meat may seem like a far-off prospect, a Jetsons-level protein source only available in a grim, distant future. ...
RNA tweak: Engineering rice and potato plants boosts yields by 50%
Manipulating RNA can allow plants to yield dramatically more crops, as well as increasing drought tolerance, announced a group of ...
Video: Anti-biotechnology activism is blocking our only way to save the Cavendish, the world’s most popular banana
Narrator: Ninety-nine percent of bananas exported to developed countries are just one group called the Cavendish. And the Cavendish is ...
From steaks to salmon, here’s the future of 3D-printed food
Using edible ingredients in the form of purees or pastes, a 3D printer pushes materials through a precisely moving nozzle ...
Viewpoint: Organic farming’s 44% productivity gap makes for a facile sustainability case, New Zealand agricultural scientist says
With all the research and information available it is extraordinary that the myth of organics – that the food is ...
Synergistic effect of ‘agricultural chemical cocktails’ commonly used by farmers pose harm to pollinating insects
For bees, the threats are numerous, including habitat loss, climate change, and intensive agriculture. As fields of flowering plants are ...
Most plant-based proteins are made from soy. From microalgae to fermented fungi, these surprising sources are bringing us the faux meat of the future
What will take on the ubiquitous soy and pea? As well as chickpea, other plant proteins have come to the ...
How ‘cattle charlatan’ Allan Savory hijacked the ‘regenerative ranching’ movement
Given the billions of humans on the planet and the futility of feeding them all on hunting and gathering from ...
Will tomatoes be the next big commercial crop for vertical farms?
What crops come to mind when you think of vertical farm production? Leafy greens, microgreens and herbs are likely the ...
Fact check: No, 15 countries have not ‘banned’ Monsanto/Bayer, as this exploding Facebook meme claims
Has Monsanto, the agribusiness controversial for its widely used herbicides, been banned in 15 locations? No, that's not true... Glyphosate, ...
To adapt to changing climates, we need to overhaul how we breed corn and soybeans
U.S. corn and soybean varieties have become increasingly heat and drought resistant as agricultural production adapts to a changing climate ...
‘We already have the products. All we need is the scale, the money, and the will’: Are we on the verge of revolutionizing meat and dairy production?
According to [billionaire Jim] Mellon’s predictions, the food industry is set to see some big changes over the next decade ...
Could underwater strawberries and deep-sea herbs provide a more sustainable alternative to land-based farming?
An over-reliance on pesticides, displacement of wildlife, the wasting of gallons of water and the generation of harmful emissions are ...
