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
AquAdvantage salmon: “Frankenfish” or “Wunderfish”?
Even with approval inching ever-closer for the AquAdvantage salmon, the debate about its safety rages on ...
How to recognize questionable information about genetically modified organisms
A genomics scientists helps lay readers separate the wheat from the chaff when it comes to GMO misinformation ...
DIY biotechnology: Glowing trees
Hoping to give new meaning to the term “natural light,” a small group of biotech enthusiasts is trying to create ...
Navigating the agricultural biotech minefield: When an MIT study is not an MIT study
Thanks to a credulous Reuters report, a shoddy piece of pseudoscience is making the rounds as “an MIT study” linking ...
The ignorance of Whole Foods
Henry Miller argues that the folks running Whole Foods are misguided at best when it comes to biotech ...
Nature’s must-read issue on genetically modified organisms
Keith Kloor dissects and summarizes Nature magazine's special issue on genetically modified organisms ...
Scaremongers and ignorance might win with “Right to Know Act”
If the "Right to Know Act" introduced to Congress passes, food companies might as well go ahead and slap GMO ...
Federal GMO labeling bill introduced to Congress
Federal legislation that would require food labels to identify genetically engineered ingredients was introduced Wednesday ...
Greener than green: Biotech and the future of agriculture (Part II)
Has the promise of the agricultural biotech revolution been oversold? Why are so many otherwise progressive thinkers so resistant to ...
How GMOs affect the world, and Kansas State
A student-run newspaper features a two-part series about genetically modified crops, nutrition, and Monsanto's ties to Kansas State University ...
Pig born using new GM technique
A new "gene-editing" tool has allowed scientists to create a disease-resistant pig. Can the new technique help to overcome the ...
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 ...
