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.
Chemist on Food Evolution: Activists present their case but movie shows science isn’t on their side
[Editor's note: Yvette d'Entremont holds a B.S. in chemistry and a master's degree in forensic science.] Imagine there was a documentary ...
Video: Herbicide-resistant rice variety could help address ‘superweed’ problem affecting non-GMO crops
As weeds become more resistant to herbicides, plant breeders are faced with the challenge of developing new varieties that are ...
Government of region where half of India’s mustard is grown says it won’t allow GM seeds even if approved
The Rajasthan government ... said it will never allow commercial cultivation of GM mustard even if the Centre approves it, ...
GM ryegrass feed could help reverse Australia’s ‘dairy crisis’
The Australian dairy industry has experienced 15 months of “disruption” (to coin a trendy term). For many, this has resulted ...
Viewpoint: Food Evolution movie shows biotech is ‘an opportunity, not a disaster’
[Editor’s Note: Ben Gordon received his Master's in development practice from UC-Berkeley in 2016 and will begin a PhD program in agricultural ...
Non-GMO herbicide-resistant crops developed with process used ‘since the beginnings of agriculture’
Kaiima Bio Agritech works on boosting crop performance by using the plant’s own DNA, without the need of introducing external genes. In ...
Lead author of bees and neonicotinoids study: ‘I don’t appreciate’ Bayer, Syngenta ‘calling me a liar’
The lead author of a major study which found that neonicotinoid pesticides harm honey bees has hit back against criticism ...
Can GMOs and organic work together to feed growing population?
In theory, genetic engineering could make a valuable contribution to sustainable agriculture. Some plant diseases are virtually impossible to control ...
Will genetically modified pink pineapples encourage millennials to eat more fruit?
If you were one to eschew your mom's plate of fruit back in the day, we've discovered a treat that'll make ...
Judge dismisses lawsuit claiming ‘natural’ label misleads due to parts per million glyphosate herbicide
A federal judge has dismissed a class-action lawsuit against General Mills over the company's use of "natural" to describe the ...
Pamela Ronald: Sustainable farming should focus on impact of crops, not on how seeds developed
[Editor's note: Pamela Ronald is a rice geneticist at the University of California Davis.] Many worthy people objected to the production ...
Berkeley professor Zilberman: No, Michael Pollan, Food Evolution movie is not ‘propaganda’
[Editor's note: David Zilberman is a professor of agriculture and resource economics at the University of California Berkeley.] Food Evolution is a ...
Opinion: Why the National Organic Program’s funding should be eliminated, not just cut
[Editor's note: Henry Miller is a physician and molecular biologist, and a Fellow in Scientific Philosophy and Public Policy at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution. He ...
Monsanto’s hidden influence? Glyphosate’s future in hands of EPA and the courts
Roundup has revolutionized farming. Now, human health and Bayer’s $66 billion deal for Monsanto depend on an honest appraisal of ...
Opinion: Bloomberg journalists botch another anti-Monsanto article
[Editor's note: Hank Campbell is president of the American Council on Science and Health.] Bloomberg Businessweek has written another anti-Monsanto article.... It's ...
EU Health and Food Safety Commissioner: Glyphosate safe but herbicide’s reapproval unsure
The European Union will only extend its approval for the herbicide glyphosate if there is sufficient support from the bloc's ...
Alaskan Sen Murkowski introduces bill to label GMO ‘frankenfish’ salmon that could ‘wreak havoc’
Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, has introduced new legislation mandating that genetically engineered salmon be so labeled. The Genetically Engineered Salmon ...
Green Line: Why plant scientists need to talk about climate change impacts on farming
[Editor’s note: Kevin Folta is a molecular biologist and chair of the horticultural sciences department at the University of Florida.] As a molecular ...
China approves import of Syngenta, Monsanto GMO corn but leaves four crop varieties in hiatus
China has approved two more genetically modified (GMO) crops for import, the Ministry of Agriculture said, the second such move ...
Video: Plant defenses turn caterpillar pests into cannibals
If you’re a hungry caterpillar and you’ve got a choice between eating a plant or another caterpillar, which do you ...
New York organic farm group opposes release of genetically engineered moths to rescue brassica crops
A local farming association is criticizing the U.S. Department of Agriculture for issuing a permit for the world’s first open-air ...
Kevin Folta: ‘Berkeley 45’ has opportunity to rethink ‘activist aided’ attack on Food Evolution movie
[Editor’s note: Kevin Folta is a molecular biologist and chair of the horticultural sciences department at the University of Florida.] The release of ...
5 ways the food industry can earn consumer trust for gene-edited foods
[Editor's note: Charlie Arnot is CEO of the Center for Food Integrity.] Trust research from The Center for Food Integrity ...
‘Ebola of plants’: Can gene sequencing save tropical food staple cassava from whitefly-borne virus?
Almost a billion people around the world rely on cassava as a staple food. The root vegetable is a versatile ...
Viewpoint: Organic industry faces credibility crisis as USDA investigates ‘phony’ imports
Amazon’s acquisition of Whole Foods, the grocer that brought pricey organic food to the masses, comes during a time of ...
Indian agricultural scientist: ‘Gene revolution’ needed to feed growing population
[Editor's note: The following is a Q&A with Vasanth Kumar Thimakapura, an internationally-recognised agriculture scientist and social entrepreneur who runs Green ...
Add Tennessee to list of states restricting dicamba herbicide after drift complaints
The Tennessee Department of Agriculture, facing some 70 suspected dicamba-drift complaints largely in western Tennessee, has issued new rules on ...
