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
Viewpoint: Fears grow that the biotechnology revolution could pass the United States by. What can be done?
Eric Schmidt, a commissioner on the federal National Security Commission on Emerging Biotechnology and formerly the CEO and Chairman of ...
Viewpoint: The politicization of food safety—what can we expect if Trump wins the presidency
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: science is political. Well, technically, how science is implemented is political, ...
Brewing longevity: Reassessing the health impact of coffee
Coffee gives us a great morning boost – and it is not just the caffeine! A recent study published in ...
Part II: How bureaucratic infighting and dairy industry lobbying have undermined the federal response to the H5N1 bird flu outbreak
In early 2023, as news of H5N1 avian influenza (“bird flu”) spreading among dairy cows reached the White House, the ...
Part I: USDA’s dereliction in containing bird flu could cause the outbreak to escalate into a deadly epidemic
When dairy cows in Texas started falling ill last spring, alarm bells started to ring. Veterinarians had found feverish cows ...
Podcast: Glyphosate doesn’t cause Celiac disease or alter gluten structure
Disinformation clouds the public understanding of science, especially technology in agriculture and medicine. So when a leading journal publishes false ...
Viewpoint: Britain’s new Labor government signals it will move forward legislation to open the door to CRISPR and other crop gene editing innovations
There are increasingly positive signs that the newly-elected Labour administration will shortly bring forward the secondary legislation needed to implement ...
Debunking GMO Myths: No, GMOs aren’t causing cancer. Yes, Non-GMO labeling is a scam
Few topics in science, health and food elicit more fear than the phrase GMO, when everything we eat is technically ...
African scientists challenge activist claims that crop biotechnology revolution spreading across Africa threatens continent’s plant biodiversity
Do genetically modified (GM) pose a threat to the Africa’s plant biodiversity? ...
Viewpoint: With the help of ‘useful idiot’ activists, Russian propaganda targets US national security and public health
Recent Russian clandestine attempts to use “authentic” U.S. media and social media influencers to corrupt elections are hardly surprising, considering ...
What is Mexico’s trade war targeting glyphosate and GMO corn really about
Thomas Jefferson famously noted that "[T]he greatest service which can be rendered any country is to add a useful plant to ...
GLP podcast: Fighting cancer with vaccines; ‘Regulator-activist-legal complex’ undermines innovation
Therapeutic vaccines for some cancers have entered clinical trials. Do they represent the future of cancer treatment? Regulations, fearmongering campaigns ...
The conflict between sustainable development goals and environmental activists
At the end of the 20th century, the United Nations (UN) launched the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The MDGs were a list of ...
A five-star recipe for cutting food waste?
A comprehensive report on food waste published in [March 2024] by the United Nations Environment Programme shares some sobering statistics: ...
How is artificial intelligence (AI) transforming agriculture, and what does the future hold?
For all the attention on flashy new artificial intelligence tools like ChatGPT, the challenges of regulating AI, and doomsday scenarios ...
Viewpoint: What happens when health officials spread misinformation?
The American Academy of Pediatrics is legitimizing pseudoscience that is undermining food safety, genetic technologies, and critical agricultural practices ...
GLP podcast: Red state ‘bullies’ trying to ban fake meat; Alt-health activists in a second Trump Admin? Psilocybin might be superior to some antidepressants
Why are some states trying to ban lab-grown meat? Conspiracy thinking prevails in the alternative health movement, and some of ...
A natural biological approach to weed control
Weeds have been a major challenge since the earliest days of farming. Tillage - the mechanical means of weed control ...
How the ‘regulator-activist-legal-complex’ undermines technological innovation
America continues to lead the world in science and technology, but this is hardly a God-given right. Compared to the ...
GLP podcast: Rachel Carson launched chemophobia? ‘Big Ag’ helps solve environmental problems; Placebos as medicine
Did revered environmentalist Rachel Carson gives rise to the modern anti-chemical crusade scientists are now struggling to control? Maybe so ...
Viewpoint: Why are politicians letting the tort lawyer and organic industry funded anti-science Environmental Working Group influence public policy?
We are in an era where rejection of science occurs across all ideologies and communities. Anti-science misinformation spreads as a ...
Viewpoint: Faulty science undergirds attacks on paraquat herbicide
The Paraquat-Parkinson’s tort extortion process is a perfect example of the Predatort Playbook in action. Tort law firms contact activist ...
GLP podcast: Egg myths, debunked; You might hate veggies because of your genes; Chemicals causing early puberty? Probably not
The public believes a lot of myths about eggs. Let's debunk some of the most popular misconceptions. If you don't ...
Will the Supreme Court block further glyphosate suits against Bayer?
Recent surprise decisions have upended plaintiffs’ expectations on the toxic tort front. In Delaware, the top court is rehearing the ...
Viewpoint: Chemophobic demonizing of DEET — Boston Museum of Science’s fact-free endorsement of ’non chemical’ insect repellent alternatives
I'm sure you know by now that I often speak about the harms of the appeal to nature fallacy and ...
Viewpoint: Greenwashing irony—Organic food and farming exempt from Europe’s green regulations despite evidence of sustainability lag
On 17 June 2024, the EU Council of Ministers adopted its position on the Green Claims Directive, a regulatory proposal first ...
Viewpoint: If you want to understand how pervasive medical disinformation in the U.S. is, check out this circus organized by GOP Senator Ron Johnson
Honestly, I don’t even know where to begin. But for those who aren’t aware, Ron Johnson, GOP Senator for Wisconsin, ...
