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.
Ancient plant breeders made corn kernels edible with only minor selections
If not for a single genetic mutation, each kernel on a juicy corn cob would be trapped inside a inedible ...
Taleb challenged: Investment bankers aren’t qualified to assess GMO risk
Here’s a hot investment tip: buy shares in Blockbuster. As many as you can afford. Put in all of Johnny’s and ...
Mark Bittman’s ‘urban farming’ can’t address hunger of poor but GMO but industrial agriculture can
Should the poor look to weeds from cracks in the sidewalk as a source of nutritious, organic free food? New ...
Agave genes could hold key to drought-resistant crops
Agave may be most associated with tequila, but this plant has a less familiar use — it's teaching scientists about ...
New Zealand anti-GMO activists’ rejection of gene editing could have dire economic consequnces
New Zealand urgently needs to have an informed discussion on new science technologies — and genetically modified organisms (GMO) and ...
Norwegian biosafety report claims scientific concensus on GMOs premature
A new study commissioned by the Norwegian government, and conducted by a nationally recognised scientific authority on the safety of ...
Proposed bill says cows fed GMO grain produce GMO milk
A GMO regulation bill set for approval in a House committee Wednesday has been changed to ensure that milk could ...
Lawmakers propose USDA begin GMO certification
The sponsors of a House bill to prevent states from requiring special labels on GMO foods are considering a new ...
Andrew Kimbrell vs Nina Fedoroff: Should GMO foods be labeled?
One of the biggest arguments in the food world these days involves products that have been genetically modified. Consumer advocates ...
Nigerian GM cowpea trial promising but politics blocks approval
There’s a confined field trial taking place in rural Nigeria. The crop being tested is genetically modified (GM) insect-resistant cowpea, ...
Point-counterpoint: Organic vs. conventional farming—which is best?
Some think organic one day could replace conventional agriculture. But do the technological limits that define organic farming—no synthetic fertilizers, ...
GMO tweak needed to rescue popular Cavendish bananas
In case you hadn’t heard the news, bananas as we know them are swiftly dying. As it turns out, those ...
As dengue fever victims in Brazil tops 16 million, GM mosquito trial offers hope
Dengue fever is so excruciating that it is often called the “bone breaker,” causing severe pain in the joints and ...
Black Swan author Nassim Taleb claims GMOs could lead to eco-disaster
Before the crisis that started in 2007, both of us believed that the financial system was fragile and unsustainable, contrary ...
Facts behind celiac disease and gluten intolerance
Millions of people around the world are giving up gluten. I know why I stopped buying traditional bread and cakes, ...
Environmental Working Group wrong: Pesticide levels in food determined safe
A new analysis published in the International Journal of Food Contamination shows that pesticide residues in food are at levels ...
Audio: Why Bill Nye changed his mind on GMOs
Guest host Bill Nye says he’s changed his mind about GMOs. Find out why when he and co-host Chuck Nice ...
Nutrition and GMOs
Genetic modification of our food has become one of the most polarizing issues in the country. Too often, food advocates ...
Feeding fish GM chow could protect wild fish habitats but anti-GM campaigners oppose it
Those who fret about overfishing and those who fret about genetically modified (GM) food are often one and the same. Such ...
Corn? Yes. Importance of corn in feeding planet
There’s a strong case that field corn, used as a grain, is the single most important food crop on the ...
Corn? No. Why we need to cut down corn production
Nowhere is the power and prowess of agricultural science so evident as in the Midwestern Corn Belt. Since the 19th century, ...
Monsanto’s climate data apps reduce inefficiencies in farming
Ron Moore is an Illinois corn and soybean grower. As a third-generation farmer, he has seen farm equipment change throughout ...
GMOs: Science vs People? Al Jazeera’s TechKnow features Kevin Folta, July 13
Al Jazeera's TechKnow Investigates: Genetically Modified Foods Is it Science vs. People? Is your food safe? Meet the scientists pushing boundaries ...
GMO myths hold back advances in eco-conscious farming
Few scientific avenues are as controversial in the public mind as genetic modification of crops. Many scientists are allured by ...
Microbes and insects could boost plant health, improve farm yields
A plant may be rooted in place, but it is never lonely. There are bacteria in, on and near it, ...
Food industry adapting to non-GMO product trend
At the 2013 Institute of Food Technologists tradeshow, a supplier of non-GMO ingredients told me that the “non-GMO tsunami is ...
GM labeling proponents target glyphosate use in farming
Proponents of mandatory labeling of food products targeted U.S. agriculture's increasing use of glyphosate, the key ingredient in Monsanto's Roundup herbicide ...
