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.
“There is no bee crisis,” environmentalist Bjorn Lomborg says
Contrary to what you may have heard, there is no “bee-pocalypse.” There is lots of alarmist talk about colony collapse ...
UK scientists to launch GM insects as alternatives to using chemicals in fields
Thousands of GM insects developed by British scientists are set to be the first released into fields in Europe as ...
Plant mitochondria research tackles food shortages
Like many countries across the globe, Australia is facing numerous environmental challenges that have the potential to cripple production of ...
Stop saying GMOs are safe, says Greenpeace
Greenpeace today accused the Philippine government of misleading the public into thinking that field trials of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) ...
Anti-GMO acting troupe takes it to the streets
The work of an anti-GMO group called MoveOn, which wants to impose mandatory labeling of GMO crops on Americans, brings ...
Spain considers trial release of genetically-modified olive flies
Genetically-modified olive flies will be released in a Catalan olive grove if a field trial proposed by British biotech company ...
Despite what some GMO opponents accuse, Monsanto does not pay off columnists
Among many lovely conversations with readers at the Farm Progress Show this week, one exchange has had me thinking, ever since. He ...
Is this the start of a GM future for Irish farming?
In July 2012, the Environmental Protection Agency gave Teagasc permission to start a controversial, three-year, field-based research study of a genetically modified ...
Truth a casualty in Kauai GMO-pesticide debate
If truth is the first casualty of war, it was body-bagged a long time ago in the pitched battle being ...
What’s in a GMO label?
One might assume that defeat at the ballot box would be a real setback for a policy idea. But in ...
Have “progressive” anti-GMO activists lost their values?
Never in the history of progressive movements have so few lied to so many. That pretty much sums up the ...
Indian scientists back agriculture minister Pawar’s remarks on GM crops
Emboldened by agriculture minister Sharad Pawar's current pitch in favour of scientific field trials for transgenic crops, top agriculture scientists of the ...
Saving the orange tree with genetic engineering
Americans might soon need to get used to apple or grape juice as their breakfast drink of choice — unless, ...
Green biotechnology: Are Germans changing their minds?
The young generation in Germany is more positive-minded about genetic engineering in general and plant biotechnology in particular than the total population. In a representative survey of ...
Golden rice and GMOs: The best solutions to world hunger?
Earlier in the week I wrote an article about genetically engineered food, and why I thought it was a bad idea ...
“Arrogant” GMO promoter Professor Bruce Chassy embarasses himself at major Food Scientist’s Institute
The GMO debate has gone main stream and is becoming a very black and white issue. Promoters of genetically modified ...
Trashing rice, killing children
Earlier this month, 400 protestors destroyed a field trial of genetically modified Golden Rice in the Philippines. Aided by well-meaning ...
Washington State University ‘very close’ on celiac-safe wheat, herbicide-tolerant barley
Washington State University researcher Diter von Wettstein is pursuing two ventures that could boost markets for wheat and barley. Von ...
Could labeling GMOs do harm?
It's hard to appreciate scientific facts. Throw emotion and/or politics into the debate, and science is not going to win. This ...
Naked Juice to verify non-GMOs under “All Natural” settlement
LOS ANGELES—Naked Juice Co. has agreed to test its ingredients in order to verify they do not contain genetically modified ...
Proponents of food biotechnology are still talking about Golden Rice? Sigh.
Yes, they are still talking about Golden Rice, as witnessed by the article, "Golden Rice: A Lifesaver?" in the New York ...
Illinois: GMO corn failing to protect fields from pest damage
Researchers in the key corn-growing state of Illinois are finding significant damage from rootworms in farm fields planted in a ...
Traditional farming a better solution for African countries
Given the British government's approach to protecting the environment by trying to sell forests, culling badgers, and cutting environmental protection, the ...
Agricultural economist Alexander J. Stein addresses concerns about Golden Rice
International Food Policy Research Institute economist Alexander J. Stein wrote a response on her personal blog to points raised by ...
When a genetic solution saved the French wine industry
The mid to late 1800s was a very difficult time for the European wine grape industry. New pests associated with ...
Oregon’s GM wheat: Still no answer, records show concern over export markets
Four months after the discovery of genetically engineered wheat sent a shudder through one of Oregon's most significant international markets, ...
Restoring tomato flavor: More complicated than finding that perfect taste
Tomatoes are the #1-selling fruit or vegetable in the world today. Yet consumers complain about blandness of supermarket tomatoes and ...
