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.
Tanzania: Endless debate on GMOs must come to an end
LAST week during the Africa Green Revolution Forum (AGRF) in Arusha, fresh calls were made for the government to adopt ...
Scientists fret over FDA slowness on genetically altered animals
Scientists have created a genetically modified milk that lacks a key protein involved in triggering allergies — an impressive technical ...
Prop. 37: More information is good, but rampant litigation isn’t, says GM supporter
While outsiders will try, it's hard to generalize about Californians. The most populous state in the nation is as diverse ...
Does Prop 37 bar “natural” labeling of non-GM foods?
The first sentence of California's Proposition 37 sums up its essence: "California consumers have the right to know whether the ...
Russia bans all GM corn imports; EU may also ban Monsanto GMO
Russia has now officially banned all imports of genetically modified corn, citing concerns from a recent study by French researchers ...
Mexicans protest against genetically modified corn
A theatrical protest in Mexico City against genetically modified corn. Scores of people took to the streets of the capital ...
Generic biotech crops jeopardized by over-regulation
The Competitive Enterprise Institute released a new study finding that regulatory policy could inhibit the development of a generic market ...
Finding the common GM ground
I'm often asked why I don’t take a strong position on the GM debate – its either the best thing ...
Napiergrass: A potential biofuel crop?
A grass fed to cattle throughout much of the tropics may become a biofuel crop that helps the nation meet ...
Livestock genetics could be a valuable resource
Farm animal genetic resources are not only valued significantly for their current economic, environmental services social and cultural roles but ...
Farmers say Switzerland is not ready for GM crops
The farming community in Switzerland is not opposed in principle to genetically modified (GM) plants. But growing GM plants is ...
Australia: New joint initiative to promote biotech and GM in agriculture
A new industry group, the Agricultural Biotechnology Council of Australia (ABCA) has been formed to promote and encourage debate on ...
‘Semi-dwarf’ trees may enable a green revolution for some forest crops
The same "green revolution" concepts that have revolutionized crop agriculture and helped to feed billions of people around the world ...
Europe’s GM food fears reignited over controversial GM study
A recent French study claiming rats fed genetically modified corn suffered tumours has reignited Europe’s fears over GM food. Despite ...
Poll finds California’s Prop. 37 is likely to pass
By more than a 2-to-1 margin, California voters favor an initiative to require food manufacturers and retailers to label fresh ...
Labelling law for GMOs in Thailand produce
In the U.S. over eighty per cent of the soybeans, corn, and canola grown in the U.S. are Genetically Modified ...
Genomics create opportunities for dairy farmers
The advent of genomics has certainly played a heavy role in today’s popular genetics. Screening for elite males and females ...
Storm over GM maize study worsens
THOSE who hoped the study would go away will be disappointed. Claims that eating genetically modified maize gives rats tumours ...
Report says ‘biotech crops help farm income rise $78 b’
A new research, conducted by the UK-based PG Economics Limited, has claimed that the use of biotech crops had resulted ...
Scientists uncover mechanism by which plants inherit epigenetic modifications
During embryonic development in humans and other mammals, sperm and egg cells are essentially wiped clean of chemical modifications to ...
New GM African cassava resists devastating viruses
Plant scientists at ETH Zurich have developed a new African cassava preferred by consumers and farmers that is resistant to ...
Scientists smell a rat in fraudulent genetic engineering study
Last week French microbiologist Gilles-Eric Séralini and several colleagues released the results of a long-term study in which rats were ...
UK: Modern genetics applied to 19th century potatoes
Researchers led by Professor Bruce Fitt, now at the University of Hertfordshire, have used modern DNA techniques on late nineteenth-century ...
New Zealand may reverse its stance on GMOs
The debate of whether New Zealand should grow genetically modified crops could be shifting away from the anti-GM stance the ...
GMOs and junk science: Pro-GM supporter questions latest study condemning GMOs
In some ways it’s remarkable that Rachel Carson is still controversial, as we’ve been reminded by this month’s 50th anniversary ...
American Medical Association reiterates support for GM technology
The American Medical Association (AMA) released a statement reiterating its position on genetically modified crops. It continues to recognize the ...
Genetically engineered rice: Protection from arsenic?
In an article this week, Consumer Reports is calling on the Food and Drug Administration to set standards for how ...
