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.
It’s ‘ethically unacceptable’ to ban GMOs if it increases malnutrition, Colombian biotech scientist warns
[I]n Colombia several congressmen presented a draft legislative act to modify article 81 of the constitution to "prohibit entry into ...
How do you make a GMO? FDA’s step-by-step guide to genetically engineering a crop
Identify: To produce a GMO plant, scientists first identify what trait they want that plant to have, such as resistance ...
EPA: Gene-edited crops and other ‘green’ pesticide alternatives on the way
EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler is optimistic that new and greener alternatives are on the way to help farmers to protect ...
GM corn coming to Kenya? Local researchers petition government to approve Bt insect-resistant maize
According to Kenya Agricultural Livestock and Research Organisation (KARLO) Director General Dr Eliud Krieger, the research agency has sought approval ...
Judge orders FDA to assess potential impact of escaped GM AquAdvantage salmon on wild fish
The Food and Drug Administration must evaluate the risks posed if genetically engineered salmon escape into the wild, a federal ...
Viewpoint: ‘Misguided enthusiasm’ to save honeybees threatens wild pollinators
The rise in hobby beekeeping, now a trendy activity for hundreds of thousands of Americans, followed strong awareness campaigns to “save the bees.” ...
Using GM crops to safely feed more people is a ‘no brainer,’ plant scientist says
Whether drought, disease, or simply increasing the efficiency of crops, [Borglaug Institute director Elsa] Murano and her colleagues work every ...
EU crop gene-editing rules block efforts to fight climate change, 50 science institutions argue
The new ALLEA report “Genome Editing for Crop Improvement” presents the state of the art of scientific evidence in the ...
COVID-19 pandemic may boost public acceptance of Ghana’s GM cowpea
The COVID-19 pandemic is increasing public interest in local food production, which may boost consumer acceptance of the insect-resistant genetically ...
Gene-edited chrysanthemums illustrate how to prevent gene flow from GM plants to wild relatives
Researchers from Fukui Prefectural University and National Agriculture and Food Research Organization in Japan reported simultaneous TALEN-mediated knockout of chrysanthemum ...
France pledged to ban glyphosate, but regulators say phasing out weedkiller probably isn’t possible
The long-awaited publication of the latest report from the National Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health Safety (ANSES) concerning ...
Kenya advances GM maize to improve yields, reduce pesticide use
Kenya has taken a major step toward increasing its food and animal feed production, while reducing pesticide use, by planting ...
99 percent of almost 10,000 foods below legal pesticide safety levels, USDA finds
The EPA sets “tolerances” to ensure that any potential residues resulting from strictly regulated pesticide use are safe for consumers ...
Bayer close to resolving 88,500 glyphosate-cancer suits, but settlement costs rise by $2 billion
[Bayer’s legal bills] keep rising with costs to handle future [Roundup] lawsuits expected to surge to $2 billion. The German ...
Growing crops on Mars? Geologists explore ways to feed a Martian colony without hauling soil into space
Practically speaking, astronauts cannot haul an endless supply of topsoil through space. So University of Georgia geologists are figuring out ...
Social media misled you about pesticides. A farmer explains what they are and how they protect our food
It seems that too many people don’t realize that herbicides are considered a type of pesticide. All herbicides are pesticides, ...
Europe’s biodiversity faces grave threats, while pro-organic farm policies offer inadequate solutions
The European Environment Agency (EEA) released its “State of Nature in the EU” report [October 19], revealing that wildlife species and natural ...
Will we ever eat lab-grown meat? Infant industry faces technical hurdles and fickle consumers
Blood, sweat and tears are a given, but we’ll also need to see significant movement in the price and availability ...
Viewpoint: Undue precaution—‘Achilles heel’ blocking expansion of biotech crops in Africa
The application of GM technology is hailed as a major success in countries such as Argentina, Brazil, China, India, the ...
Decoded genome of New World screwworm could help prevent billions of dollars in livestock losses
The New World screwworm’s Latin name means “man-eater.” These shiny blue flies with pumpkin-orange eyes lay up to 400 eggs ...
Neophobia: The psychological barrier that inspires knee-jerk rejection of GMOs and other food technology
Psychologist Michael Siegrist and nutrition scientist Christina Hartmann have compiled research on the psychological and societal factors that influence consumer ...
US sugar industry flips the GMO script, hyping eco-benefits of glyphosate-tolerant crops
[The US] sugar beet industry is flipping the narrative, capitalizing on what was once its Achilles heel — its universal ...
Thank bugs for red velvet cake? How Cochineal insects became a sustainable source of food dye
A surprising amount of the food we consume contains various compounds to add color. Marshmallows look white, but they contain ...
AquaBounty identifies Kentucky location as possible site for 10,000 metric ton GMO salmon farm
[Aquabounty] announced that it has identified Mayfield, Kentucky as the potential location for its planned large-scale farm for the Company’s ...
GMOs coming to Zimbabwe? Agriculture minister says climate change has made farm technology a necessity
While farmers are gripped with the conservation farming technique that is fronted by [Zimbabwe's] government and other private organizations through ...
Picking up where GMOs left off: CRISPR leads the way to ‘greener’ food production in the 21st century
Genome editing may be one of the solutions to address climate change. A September 2020 report by the Information Technology ...
EU opposition to GM crops encourages hunger in developing nations, US trade official warns
A senior U.S. official blasted EU plans for greener farming on [October 27], accusing Brussels of risking worldwide starvation by ...
