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.
When the clergy says stupid things about GMOs, credulous congregants lose
Winnipeg-Canada based Lyndsey Smith, a writer for the Real Agriculture blog, discusses why religion and science often don't mix well--and ...
Oregon county’s fears over cross-pollination between GM and organic crops unecessary
The unexpected discussion of genetically modified food in the Oregon Legislature’s special session this year renewed Oregon’s debate over GMOs ...
First GM animal closer to dinner tables as Canada streamlines GM salmon egg production process
Canada has given the go-ahead to commercial production of genetically modified salmon eggs, bringing the world's first GM food animal ...
Facing threatened food security, Kenyan officials recommend lifting ban on GMOs
Due to low harvests and bans on imported grains from surrounding countries, government officials are urging the Kenyan government to ...
Funded research does not equal biased research, says University of Hawaii scientist
“The implication that funded research equals biased research perpetuates a misunderstanding about how universities operate,” writes Ken Grace, entomologist and ...
Anti-biotech group attempts to pressure McDonald’s into not using GM potato
In an attempt to pressure McDonald’s to not use a potato genetically modified to absorb less oil during frying, the ...
Washington voters rightly rejected GMO labeling
Washington voters made the right decision in rejecting the genetically modified food-labeling bill, writes Maxx Chatsko, a bioprocess engineer and ...
Rejection of genetically modified food opens doors for unregulated, irradiated crops
After Monsanto withdrew its applications to sell genetically modified seeds in the European Union last year, competing seed companies are ...
Podcast: University of Florida geneticist Kevin Folta tackles cancer threats, pesticide abuse and other anti-GMO myths
On the science blog imprüvism, host Armi Legge tackles the GMO debate and interviews Kevin Folta, professor and department chair ...
Threats from antis make it difficult to know what the silent majority believes in Hawaii about GMOs
Joni Kamiya, author of the blog Hawaii Farmer's Daughter and supporter of biotechnology in Hawaii, discusses the cyber attacks she ...
Oganic activist leader says loss in Washington state on labeling will galvanize anti-GMO movement
"Monsanto and Big Food confused enough Washington voters to scrape out a narrow victory in a low turn-out, off year ...
Industry hid millions more than previously reported in anti-GMO labeling fight, says Washington attorney general
A food industry group that contributed heavily to defeat Washington's GMO labeling bill I-522 concealed millions more dollars in campaign ...
Avoiding ugly confrontation, Maui mayor reaches agreement with Monsanto on pesticide disclosure
Avoiding the ugly political battles that have consumed Kaua'i and the Big Island, Maui Mayor Alan Arakawa reached agreement on ...
Regulatory and safety status of global GM commodity crops
Currently there are fourteen varieties of the five genetically modified commodity food crops: alfalfa, canola, sugar beet, soybean and corn ...
Bangladesh approves ‘confined trial’ for genetically modified cotton
The Bangladesh government has made a move to introduce genetically modified (GM) cotton varieties to farmers in the country. The ...
South Australian government acknowledges ideological motives for extending moratorium on GMOs
The South Australian government extended its moratorium on the cultivation of genetically modified crops by another six years, agribusiness consultant David ...
EU must reconsider its broken GMO evaluation process
According to a graduate of the European Public Affairs Masters program at Maastricht University, the European Union evaluation system of ...
Canadian fruit growers ask federal government to block Arctic Apple
The Fruit Growers Association in British Columbia, Canada has asked two federal ministers to impose moratorium on the genetically-modified Arctic ...
Whole Foods hones anti-GMO strategy to drive growth
“Non-GMO is a line in the sand for us. It’s the start of the discussion, not the end topic. We ...
Ukraine to allow cultivation of GM crops
Ukraine may soon join the list of European countries that allow genetically modified crops, prompted by a new government proposal ...
Maine Legislature ‘did the right thing’ by passing GMO labeling bill
Maine's Morning Sentinel published an editorial in support of GMO labeling, writing that "the Maine Legislature did the right thing earlier ...
Activists block solution to GM cross-pollination (don’t call it ‘contamination’) fears
Cross pollination between fields of crops, whether genetically modified or organic, cannot be avoided. Whose responsibility is it to keep ...
Breakthrough GM phtoreceptor technology could help food crops thrive in crowded fields
Scientists at the University of Wisconsin-Madison are working on genetically modifying plant photoreceptors to allow crops to grow in tightly ...
Food economist challenges pop anti-GMO activist Robyn O’Brian for fanning allergy scares in TED talk
Jayson Lusk, food and agriculture economist, critiques a TEDx talk by popular anti-GMO activist and author Robyn O'Brian in which ...
Food industry presses for voluntary GMO labeling standards
Crucial players in the American food industry are pressing for legislation that would institute a national voluntary labeling system for ...
Why we won’t see GMO labels in the United States anytime soon
(Summary) "Until scientific evidence shows that eating GMOs is dangerous," labeling laws won't change, writes Brian Stoffel in the Motley Fool ...
China and US can use biotechnology to end ‘scourge of global hunger’
"Biotechnology has been extensively researched and safely used for three decades," writes Michael Scuse, Under secretary for Farm and Foreign ...
