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 biotech corn transformed the lives of Filipino farmers
Ryan Lising, 39, has lived all his life in a farming community in Mandani, Magalang, Pampanga, one of seven provinces ...
GM and organic crops need not be separate in food debate to achieve best outcome in feeding world’s hungry
Given its centrality to our existence and lifestyle, it is unsurprising that the different ways in which food can be ...
Oregon now at forefront of national GMO debate
A battle is being waged in Oregon’s grocery stores, wheat and sugar beet fields, restaurant tables and pantry shelves. The long-simmering ...
China cracks down against illegal GM crop testing at corporations and research centers
The continued illegal sale of genetically modified (GM) food in parts of China has prompted the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA) ...
Is GM corn leading to overuse of insecticides as pests develop resistance?
Whether the return to pesticide use makes sense, or is simply spurred by a chemical industry marketing campaign, is at ...
GM crop trials not taking off in India despite last-minute approvals
Despite last-minute clearances given to stalled field trials of genetically modified (GM) crops by former environment minister Veerappa Moily, seed ...
Vermont relying on out-of-state donations to defend GMO labeling bill
Vermont’s effort to require labels on foods made with genetically modified ingredients has garnered lots of out-of-state attention – and ...
New consumer focused GM foods designed to provide health and sustainability benefits
It’s easy to understand why many Americans are unenthusiastic about genetically modified organisms (GMOs). Although supermarket aisles are lined with ...
16 agricultural organizations in U.S., Canada and Australia pledge support for GM wheat
Sixteen agricultural organizations in the U.S., Canada and Australia have publicly endorsed the use of biotechnology in wheat to make ...
GM mosquitoes produce only male offspring, eliminating entire populations in six generations
Scientists have found a way of genetically modifying mosquitoes to produce sperm that only creates males, offering a potential fresh ...
Farmers and biotech industry fight Hawaii County’s ‘crippling’ GMO ban
Several Big Island farmers and flower growers, along with a national trade organization representing the biotech industry, have filed a ...
War in South Australia over future of GMO trials
South Australian Agriculture Minister Leon Bignell’s staunch opposition to genetically modified (GM) crop biotechnology has raised fears multi-million dollar research ...
Vermont farmers disagree on GMO safety, environmental impact and labeling issues
There was a celebration on the Statehouse steps in May when Gov. Peter Shumlin signed a bill into law that ...
Editorial: GMOs safe to eat while more research in farming practices needed
The use of science to enhance agricultural output has been attacked on nearly every front for quite some time. There ...
Iowa governor calls for ‘vigilant’ defense of modern agriculture, including GMOs
Gov. Terry Branstad said Monday that state officials need to remain vigilant in their defense of modern agriculture, but he ...
Rejection of cheese as ‘dangerous’ shows why fanatical anti-GMO groups are like homeopaths
Would opponents of GMO technology object to eating cheese made with chymosin from genetically engineered microbes? Avoiding it might be ...
Scientific articles counter common misconceptions on Internet condemning GMOs
A member of Skepti-Forum, Ethan Kessler, provides links to several scientific studies countering many of the common misconceptions we often ...
Widespread confusion among Canadians over what foods are genetically modified
Genetic modification has been a polarizing issue since genetically modified seeds were first approved and planted in Canada in the ...
‘Organic’ label does not guarantee healthier or more sustainable food
Buying organic food is an exercise in personal virtue: You pay more to consume food that's healthier for you and ...
Vermont’s law requiring GMO labels could trigger nationwide rules
Under a law signed this month, the tiny New England state, population 626,000, will soon require that food companies tell ...
Indian scientists form high tech group to educate politicians on GM crops
Stung by adverse political reactions on genetically modified crops, agriculture scientists have formed a 12-member pressure group comprising top scientists ...
GMO fears in needy Zambia result in destruction of 1,000 lbs of safe corn flakes
A combined team of Luanshya Municipal Council Health Inspectors and Court officials swung into action and destroyed more than 700 Bokomo Corn Flakes ...
Trade politics, not health concerns, driving Russia’s anti-GMO stance
The Russian government’s most public reason for banning GMOs—its citizens’ health—may not be its primary reason. During President Putin’s recent meeting with ...
Monarch butterfly decline linked loss of milkweed: Are GMO crops to blame?
The main cause of the monarch butterfly's decline is the loss of milkweed — its food — in its U.S ...
Bt eggplant farmers in Bangladesh target of anti-GMO “green” groups
Farmers growing a landmark genetically modified food crop in Bangladesh – Bt brinjal, or aubergine – have found themselves at the centre of a ...
GM crops safe but ecological concerns need to be examined, regulated
Scientists have demonstrated that genetically modified organisms have no measurable negative impacts on human health. Indeed, they may hold the key ...
‘Homemade herbicide’ of salt, vinegar and soap more expensive and toxic than glyphosate in Roundup
The question I get most often about this homemade herbicide mixture is “how does it compare to commercial herbicides?” In particular, how ...
