Food & Ag 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
Middle school experiment suggests health benefits of organic food — for fruit flies, at least
A student's experiment, published in the journal PLOS ONE, found that flies fed on organic fruits and veggies were healthier ...
As final approval of GM salmon nears, debate heats up
In an online debate, AquaBounty president Elliot Entis discusses his company's GM salmon with author Paul Greenberg, a critic of ...
How will synthetic biology shape the future of agriculture?
Synthetic biology may have huge benefits for agriculture, but it will challenge human value systems ...
A rebuttal to Mark Bittman’s NYT op-ed
Former FDA official Henry Miller thoroughly debunks an anti-GMO rant in the New York Times ...
Anti-GMO attitudes and political leanings
GMO opponents come from both ends of the political spectrum, but Kloor writes that denialist arguments are more likely to ...
GMO opponents rail against the “Monsanto Protection Act”
A new resolution would seem to place the commercial concerns of Monsanto, the world’s largest producer of GM crops and ...
The lowdown on GMOs with Kevin Folta
Plant geneticist Kevin Folta argues that "GMO debate" is entirely in the minds of campaigners; the science is settled as ...
Why Obama dropped the ball in investigating Monsanto’s monopoly
How the government let one company squash biotech innovation and dominate an entire industry ...
Why anti-genetic engineering activists never quit
Why do GMO protestors cling to discredited scare scenarios? “The motivations range from cupidity to stupidity, with several stops in ...
Why it will take Whole Foods five years to solve GMO labeling
Some GMO labeling activists say 2018 is not soon enough for Whole Foods' GMO labeling mandates to kick in. Mike ...
Whole Foods, GMO labeling, and the illusion of transparency
Despite the claims of Whole Foods' CEO John Mackey, the store's new GMO labeling policy is likely to achieve exactly ...
Twenty-year review: GM crops are safe
A review of two decades of research on transgenic crops has found transgenic crops no less safe than their traditional ...
Don’t be afraid of GM salmon
A New York Times opinion piece urges the FDA to approve AquaBounty's GM salmon, for the good of consumers as ...
Frankenfoods reduce global warming
This ISAAA reports that in 2012, GM crops reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 23 billion kilograms of carbon dioxide equivalent ...
Alaska fishermen fight FDA approval of GM salmon
Fishermen and family businesses fear that faster-growing GM salmon will threaten their livelihoods by flooding the market with cheap fish ...
The future of the apple: A small biotech company could change the debate on GMOs
A small company in Canada is using genetic engineering to create apples that don’t brown when you cut them. Will ...
World’s GM crops crops larger than U.S. by half
Mother Jones offers an excellent visual breakdown of the recent ISAAA report on the global prevalence of GM crops ...
Own it, don’t hide it: The pro-GMO backlash
As agribusiness gears up to spend millions fighting GMO labeling in Washington, reporter Eric Scigliano has a better plan: Don't ...
When GM seeds go generic
The Roundup Ready soybean patent expires in 2014, making it the first genetically modified plant to go generic. What happens ...
Bowman v. Monsanto is not about the save-the-seeds myth
If a farmer wishes to forgo the advantages of GM seed, he or she can simply use older, unrestricted crop ...
Poland backs away from agricultural biotech
Last month Poland banned an important farm technology for purely political reasons and without any scientific justification, argues a Polish ...
Bowman v. Monsanto: Supremes unsympathetic to farmer’s deception
In the battle over GM seeds and their progeny, the Supreme Court appears to favor intellectual property rights ...
GMO labeling initiatives: Prop 37 v. I-522
The Biofortified blog takes an in-depth look at the Washington State initiative to label GMOs ...
Viewpoint: Biotechnology is a threat to biodiversity
The burgeoning "bioeconomy" is as much a threat to the environment as the fossil fuels it aims to replace ...
GM foods need transparency but not labeling
Biotech pioneer Roger Beachy argues that transparency will ease consumer's concerns over GM foods, not labels ...
Q&A with Mark Lynas and plant geneticist Nina Fedoroff
Nina Fedoroff, a leading geneticist and pioneer in transgenics, critiques Lynas' recent speech and discusses the future of plant biotechnology ...
Q&A with Mark Lynas and plant geneticist Nina Fedoroff
Nina Fedoroff, a leading geneticist and pioneer in transgenics, critiques Lynas' recent speech and discusses the future of plant biotechnology ...
