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.
Disrupt the global food supply? Trump officials dubious about RFK, Jr.—MAHA plan to ban crop chemicals
A bid by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to label pesticides as a potential cause of U.S. health woes ...
Eating a healthy diet delays puberty in teenage girls
Girls who grow up eating a healthier diet than their peers may be less likely to get their first menstrual ...
CRISPR pig joins a shortlist of genetically modified animals approved by the FDA for human consumption
Most pigs in the US are confined to factory farms where they can be afflicted by a nasty respiratory virus ...
Del Monte threatens suit against Nicaraguan farmer growing its patented genetically engineered Pinkglow pineapple
In the middle of last year [2024], Fresh Del Monte indicated that it would take legal action if it was ...
Fruits and vegetables that stay fresh for weeks? Gene edited ‘super foods’ could be on British supermarket shelves soon
Bananas that don’t go brown, strawberries that last for weeks, tomatoes boosted with vitamin D: gene-edited foods could be on ...
Unlocking the mystery of how plants communicate
Researchers at the Center for Research on Programmable Plant Systems (CROPPS) at Cornell University have taken a huge step toward making plant ...
Viewpoint: RFK, Jr. promises to ban comparatively safe dyes while the administration cuts programs that actually do protect public health
While the decision to remove artificial food dyes is typically something people across the political spectrum can get on board ...
Should the EU grant patent protection to the coming generation of gene edited crops
Some stakeholders are worried that there will be a huge wave of [plant] patents rolling over the European market with ...
Revolutionizing, disrupting or subverting? 100 days in, Trump is upending food, health, and climate policy
The First 100 Days: How Trump and Vance Have Changed Food, Agriculture, Health, and Climate. January 20, 2025: President Donald ...
“Total crackpot” and “talks to trees”: Trump picks ‘functional medicine’ advocate for Surgeon General
President Trump’s selection of Dr. Casey Means, a Stanford-educated wellness specialist and book author, as his next surgeon general [has] ...
Are biological chemicals a promising possible alternative to some crop chemicals?
[A]s consumers grow increasingly concerned about the environmental and health impacts from the chemicals, there’s a pivot toward what the ...
Should the EU ease restrictions on CRISPR and other gene edited crops: ‘Yes’, says a plant researcher vs. No, from a anti-GMO activist scientist
Few topics are as divisive and controversial as genetically modified organisms (GMOs). The same level of contention also characterises new ...
Climate-ready canola: USDA clears two Cibus pest resistant gene-edited seed oil crop for growing
For Cibus, regulatory clarity isn’t just a box to check—it’s a turning point. The San Diego–based agricultural technology company with ...
Viewpoint: Scientist defends the safety of glyphosate—and explains why that matters
Glyphosate is not risk-free — no chemical is. But compared to alternatives (even “natural” ones), it remains one of the ...
Viewpoint: Here’s the ‘progressive’ take on regenerative agriculture
Regenerative agriculture, the practice of restoring rather than depleting the land, has been suffocated by companies that thrive on making farmers ...
Viewpoint: How our food choices impact the global environment
Messaging about healthy and sustainable food choices — buying local, the best diets, the cost of nutritious food — can ...
DNA barcoding: How it revolutionized tracking food fraud
[T]he 2013 horsemeat scandal is considered one of the most egregious cases of food fraud on the continent [Europe], and ...
Viewpoint: ‘Get the government out of agriculture’? Civil Eats assesses Trump’s disruptive first 100 days on ‘food, farming and fairness’
Over the past 100 days [of President Trump's second term], President Trump and his collaborators have taken a sledgehammer to ...
Viewpoint: ‘Pesticide soaked’—Activists target sustainable ‘no till’ farming, but science disagrees
A Washington D.C.-based environmental group published a lengthy report [April 29, 2025] criticizing no-till systems across the U.S. for their ...
What are the barriers limiting organic food consumption globally
Current dietary practices significantly contribute to environmental degradation, with organic food consumption emerging as a viable alternative for promoting sustainability ...
India becomes first country to approve yield-boosting gene edited rice
Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Sunday [April 4, 2025] unveiled India’s first genome-edited rice varieties, DRR Dhan 100 ...
Intermittent fasting – timing when you eat – has legions of supporters but not strong science to back it up
Intermittent fasting has been shown to lead to some weight loss in several studies. But it might not work better than other ...
The coming rice crisis: Can biotechnology prevent global shortages?
More frequent droughts, extreme heat and erratic weather in Asia, where 90 per cent of the world’s rice is grown, ...
What would be the consequences if the weedkiller glyphosate is restricted or banned? Here’s a case study for Missouri
Glyphosate is an essential herbicide for Missouri’s agriculture, playing a vital role in helping farmers effectively control weeds and boost ...
Trump administration cuts $1 billion in funding for sustainable, ‘climate smart’ farm programs
USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins announced in a press release Monday her agency was immediately canceling the $3.1 billion program. The agency said ...
Tea bags have more than just tea leaves in them. Nanoplastics are common and persistent
Plastic waste contamination represents a critical environmental challenge with growing implications for future generations, However, the health risks associated with ...
Viewpoint: Nigeria is on the cusp of an agricultural genetic modification revolution. Here’s why patent protections are so crucial
The intersection of intellectual property (IP) and genomics is reshaping the landscape of healthcare, biotechnology, and business in Nigeria. Genomics—the ...
