Food & Agriculture Features
The GLP explores the role of genetic engineering in food production and the polarized debate surrounding it. We highlight the work of our own writers, as well as that of contributors from around the Web. The GLP does not take a position on genetics-related issues; any opinions expressed belong to the authors.
Categories include:
- Chemicals and pesticides
- Organics
- Conventional crops
- New breeding technologies
- Animal biotechnology
- Food systems
- Sustainability
- Regulations
- Politics
- Ideology
20-year GMO report card: Biotech shrinks ag’s ecological impact, increased farm income $167 billion
Genetic modification has had a dramatic impact on crop production, agricultural sustainability and the economics of farming, in the 26 ...
Does Consumer Reports mislead readers by promoting Non-GMO Project label?
Consumer Reports claims to provide consumers with unbiased information about products and services. But the site is accused of exploiting ...
Biofortification: Is it the next ‘Green Revolution’ for more nutritious food?
Plant breeders and biotechnologists are working to make crops more nutritious--a process called biofortification--to improve the diets and health of ...
Bette Midler criticizes Monsanto’s seed patent contracts—and gets schooled by farmers
Bette Midler attempted to "educate" her Twitter followers about the contracts farmers sign with Monsanto, prohibiting saving and replanting of ...
Sustainability myth: Stanford misleads students about organic farming’s reduced environmental impact
The promotion of 'sustainable' organic farming at one of the nation's top universities shows just how pervasive myths about conventional ...
‘Science mom’ challenges meal delivery service Blue Apron’s non-GMO food policy
Blue Apron's non-GMO policy stirs up a hornets' nest of reaction by pro-science moms on a quest to take on ...
Activists claim that without long-term studies, GMOs cannot be considered safe: What does science say?
No multi-generational GMO food studies? Bollocks. There are dozens, and all conclude biotech seeds are as safe or safer than ...
Conflict of interest? Mother Jones’ Tom Philpott’s connections to organic industry raise concerns
Journalist Tom Philpott, who covers food and farming issues at Mother Jones, was recently the keynote speaker at a fundraising ...
10 years after Colony Collapse Disorder scare, what have we learned about the plight of bees?
Managed honey bees are afflicted by a range of pests, viruses and predators--the worst being the Varroa mite--that have been ...
European Commission: Scientists find neonicotinoids don’t harm bees, restrictions hurt farmers—but support permanent ban
The EU's Joint Research Center found that the temporary ban on neonics did not help bees and hurt farmers' ability ...
‘Naturalistic fallacy’: Explaining anti-GMO—anti-vaccine ideological and financial links
Both the anti-GMO movement and the anti-vaccine movement are predicated on the myth that "natural" is better. They also share ...
Anti-vax Organic Consumers Association, linked to measles outbreak, has deep ties to anti-GMO conspiracist USRTK
The Organic Consumers Association uses its sizable budget to fund front groups, like Gary Ruskin's US Right to Know, that ...
Video: Obama on GMOs — ‘Humanity has always engaged in genetic modifications’
The former president said that, like climate change, science drives his views on biotechnology. He advocated for prudent legislation and ...
Bangladesh’s embrace of GMO technology may embolden innovation in developing countries
Bangladesh's successful application of biotechnology and development of its own GM crops could serve as a model for other developing ...
Trolls and shills: How disinformation sites InfoWars, Natural News and US Right to Know manufacture fake news
Lawyers suing Monsanto say the company pays people to defend it online, without citing any evidence to back up the ...
Uganda’s science march reveals love, frustration of young scientists
Student scientists join global march in support of science, offer their thoughts on where things stand in Uganda ...
How Bangladesh emerged as world innovator in pest-resistant, nutritionally fortified GM crops
GMO Bt eggplant has reduced insecticide use 80-90% in Bangladesh, ushering in burgeoning era of sustainable agriculture--and more GM crops ...
Debate heats up: Did National Academies of Science GMO report go far enough in affirming GMO safety consensus?
The debate among scientists over whether the 2016 NAS report unnecessarily muddied the debate over GMO regulations spilled over into ...
Should the European Union continue to fund anti-science and unaccountable NGO non-profits?
Public tax money in Europe is being given with limited or no accountability to organizations actively working to undermine consensus ...
Does plant patent system restrict innovation and hurt small breeders?
The one-size-fits-all approach, that imposes the patent system on the agricultural sector irrespective of the consequences, may not be in ...
Breitbart vs. Kellogg’s: Forcing some anti-GMO progressives to choose a side
Critics of GMOs tend to align with the political left. But an ongoing feud between a right-wing news service and ...
Costly delays: Australia’s sluggish adoption of GMO crops carries a hefty price tag
The nation lost out on $431 million in economic gains, while also missing a chance to cut greenhouse gas emissions ...
Are neonicotinoid insecticide seed treatments endangering wild bees?
Environmentalists often blame neonicotinoid insecticides for the plight of wild bee species. But the science doesn't support this hypothesis, and ...
How US NGOs are exploiting Europe’s precautionary chemophobia to ban glyphosate and GMOs
Environmental NGOs have a harder time influencing the evidence-based US regulatory system, so they're taking the fight to Europe — ...
March for Science: Agony and ecstasy of a Malaysian agricultural biotechnology science communicator
In many ways, communicating science can be more difficult than scientific research. As advances in biotechnology speed up, scientists around ...
CRISPR conundrum: Is there a line between GMOs and ‘natural’ crops when genes are edited?
New gene-editing techniques like CRISPR can be detected, but can't be distinguished from "natural" genetic changes. Should regulators and the ...
Neonicotinoid fiasco: How American NGOs turn Europe against science, push EU towards insecticide ban
The current EU ban on neonics has been disastrously counterproductive, resulting in an increased use of more damaging pesticides, mainly ...