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.
Is mutagenesis (e.g. organic Ruby Red grapefruits) the next target of anti-GMO groups?
Altering the genetic makeup of plants with gamma radiation or chemicals is considered a traditional breeding technique in the United ...
Globally, 12% of farmers now grow biotech crops — more than ever before
The campaigns against genetically modified foods are unrelenting, and they are having an impact on business. The retailer chain Whole ...
India’s Ag Minister: No credible reports that GM crops harmful
There are no “credible scientific reports” to prove that genetically modified (GM) crops have adverse impact on environment, human health ...
80% of Russians negative towards GMOs
Following the GMO debate some countries seek tighter regulations, while others place them at the core of agriculture. China is ...
Organic farmer takes stand in Aussie GMO ‘contamination’ case
Wednesday 12/2: THE organic farmer suing his neighbour in the landmark GM court case took to the witness stand on ...
Agricultural technologies could increase global yields by two third, cut food prices in half by 2050
A new report by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) measures the impacts of agricultural innovation on farm productivity, ...
Center for Food Safety calls claims of GE food ‘industry propaganda’
It seems like every day the food movement is gaining more power in the fight for the consumers' right to ...
Monsanto, so often demonized, is welcomed in food insecure Vietnam
In its latest show of endorsing controversial genetically modified organisms (GMOs), Vietnam is set to allow three foreign companies to ...
Illinois farmer turns GMO controversy is “teaching opportunity”
Larry Bucher typically harvests the same crop of questions from strangers, acquaintances and dinner party guests. Once they learn he ...
Walla Walla, Washington Union-Bulletin editorial: Voluntarily labeling of GMOs is a sound approach
Although science has not determined food with genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are dangerous, or even unhealthy, some folks are squeamish ...
A progressive looks for common ground in the GMO debate
Skeptics of GM food should come to grips with the fact that the act of genetic manipulation is itself not ...
How did Monsanto come to be the Devil in the GMO debate?
Which is the real Monsanto? The one poisoning the world and failing to improve crops with genetically modified seeds, or ...
Independent scientists dismember new Seralini pesticide scare study
Controversial French biologist Gilles-Eric Séralini's report in BioMed Research International describes how pesticides kill cultured human cells, with the hair-raising conclusion that pesticides may ...
Bangladesh debuts cultivation of Bt brinjal this week
Bangladesh formally started the cultivation of the country's first genetically modified (GM) crop--Bt Brinjal (eggplant) today. As part of the ...
Australians create fungus resistant wheat by removing a gene
According to John Curtin Distinguished Professor Richard Oliver, Director of the Australian Centre for Necrotrophic Fungal Pathogens (ACNFP) at Curtin, ...
EU governments split over new GM grain approval
BRUSSELS, Feb 11 (Reuters) - European Union ministers hit deadlock on Tuesday on whether to let a new strain of ...
Psychology explains why many people fear GM foods
The brain is first and foremost in charge of keeping us alive and it uses everything it can to figure ...
If genetically modified foods are so bad, where’s the proof?
There is no scientific evidence of harm from GMOs, whereas the benefits could be huge. Instead of being destructive , ...
Filipino farmers fight misinformation on GMOs
A surprising number of Filipino farmers have decided in favor of the new technology of genetic modification. The farmers’ experiences ...
Shoppers who want organic products don’t need new GMO labels
Groups such as the Non-GMO Project have already paved the way for labeling measures that inform consumers and to ensure ...
Critiquing the eco-philosophy of Vandana Shiva
There is no figure in the anti-GMO movement that commands more respect than Vandana Shiva. An Indian writer and activist, ...
Why “non-GMO” Cheerios are a marketing ploy
What is General Mills protecting us from with GMO-free Cheerios? To start with, there are no genetically modified oats grown ...
Got pot? Cannabis genome map could lead to new medicines, industrial products
It's called the Cannabis Genomic Research Initiative and it's being led by 37-year-old Nolan Kane, an assistant professor with Colorado ...
Can organics and GMOs coexist? Landmark case goes to court in Australia
Organic farmer Steve Marsh is suing neighboring farmer Michael Baxter for as-yet-unspecified damages over alleged nuisance and negligence, which allegedly ...
Anti-biotech backlash attempts to reframe Green Revolution in negative light
Can we agree that the Green Revolution was, on balance, a good thing? You know, kinda like the industrial revolution. Yes, ...
Mom’s eye view: Over-labeling of “non-GMO” products can be confusing, misleading
Corn, soy, cotton, and canola are some of the seven genetically modified crops grown in the U.S. Wheat, interestingly enough, is not ...
Video: EU Health Commissioner backs speeding approval of stalled GMO crops
Leading agriculture journalist Ed Bray is joined by Health Commissioner Tonio Borg for an exclusive interview on the revision of EU rules on genetically ...
