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.
Natural products association believes market-driven approach better than laws for GE labeling
A market-driven approach that allows consumers to opt for foods made without genetically modified ingredients is preferable to mandatory labeling ...
UK: Europe risks being ‘left behind’ over GM food, Cameron says
Europe risks being "left behind" after one of the world's biggest genetically modified crop companies confirmed it is effectively pulling ...
Resistance to ag biotech: The importance of distinguishing between weak and strong attitudes
The following is an edited excerpt. In 2012, a record 17.3 million farmers grew biotech crops on 170 million hectares ...
Monsanto to drop all requests for new GM crops in EU
The following is an edited excerpt. US seed producer Monsanto has said it would withdraw all new requests to grow ...
Brazil is the world’s second largest GE producer
The following is an edited excerpt. Brazil is the second largest producer of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in the world, ...
Science Resources that support biotechnology and GMO in food
Where can I find solid information resources on biotechnology, genetically modified organisms, and the seemingly endless list of science issues ...
Don’t let critics derail GE advantages
The Central Valley is the hotbed of California's agricultural output, producing over $13 billion worth of food products each year, ...
“Organic” is one of the most confusing labels, report says
The label “organic” is one of the most confusing for consumers, says a new report by the Natural Foods Merchandiser ...
10 reasoned responses to “10 reasons we don’t need GMOs”
You may have run across this article “10 Reasons We Don’t Need GM Foods” on the FoodConsumer website. It’s been ...
European scientists warn of dangers of “Precautionary Science”
Eighteen scientists recently weighed in on the unscientific and dangerous nature of the so-called "precautionary principle" in the July issue ...
UK: Ordinary laboratory animals are outnumbered by GM counterparts for first time
The following is an edited excerpt. The number of genetically modified (GM) animals used in scientific research in Britain has ...
Modifying Africa 10 years on: is public opinion shifting?
It's over a decade since I ghost-wrote Modifying Africa for well-known Kenyan biotechnologist Florence Wambugu. At the time the book ...
Pakistan: Farmers seek biotech corn for high yield
Farmers of corn growing areas have reiterated their demand to approve genetically modified corn for commercial plantation in Pakistan because ...
GMOs and the American Chestnut: Risky Business?
How far out on a limb would you go to bring back an icon of the American forest? First, a ...
You can put lipstick on a pig (GE feeding study), but it still stinks
The following is an edited excerpt. The tiny cadre of anti-biotechnology activists who reside in the scientific community are perverting ...
Can ‘Frankenfish’ survive politics?
The following is an edited excerpt. Sometime this summer or soon after, the federal Food and Drug Administration may finally ...
President of World Food Prize Foundation: Ag’s huge challenge is growing ever more larger
My friend Rekha Basu wrote a tough column in the June 30 Sunday Register that was sharply critical of the ...
Monsanto to withdraw EU approval requests for new GE crops
Monsanto Co said on Wednesday it will withdraw all pending approval requests to grow new types of genetically modified crops ...
Chobani yogurt targeted by anti-GE activists
The following is an edited excerpt. Chobani yogurt, one of the country's fastest-growing CPG brands, is the latest to come ...
Canada: Challenges to bee health are complex, banning neonicotinoids is not the answer
The following is an edited excerpt. The complexity of the issues facing bee health is, unfortunately, too frequently being overlooked ...
Hungary destroys all Monsanto GE crop fields
Hungary has destroyed 1000 acres of maize found to have been grown with Monsanto's genetically modified seeds, according to Hungary ...
Oregon: Groups battle GM crops using tactics from the fracking fight
Groups across Oregon are working to ban genetically modified crops at the county level through initiative petitions. Many of these ...
Indian president backs GE crops
The following is an edited excerpt. In what could be sweet news for the supporters of genetically modified (GM) technology, ...
Big money in Washington state labeling fight
The following is an edited excerpt. Although it's still early in the game the fight in our state over Initiative ...
European bee policy criticized by industry
The new Guidance Document on Risk Assessment of Plant Protection Products on Bees sets unrealistic expectations and enforces measures that ...
How weeds evolve
Depending on your point of view, barnyardgrass is a nightmare or a marvel. That’s because it’s a supremely triumphant weed ...
Grist story on ‘superweeds’ attempts to demonize biotech by describing evolution
Biotech crops, which represent almost all the corn, soy, and cotton grown in the U.S., have finally met their match ...
