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
Part I: Analysis — Secret alliance: How Kenyan anti-GMO activists are scrambling to block President’s decision authorizing GM corn imports and local cultivation
The East African-wide famine and supply chain issues exacerbated by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine have reenergized the anti-GMO movement in ...
Insect food? Public skepticism remains a major hurdle but here is the sustainability case for including them in our diet
The consumption of insects has slowly increased as the benefits become widely discussed. More than 2,000 edible species have been identified ...
Analysis: Vegetables are good. Meat is bad. Here’s how meta-studies can be ‘interpreted’ to provide simplistic results
A new meta-analysis upends the belief that red meat is bad and vegetables are good. How can that be? It ...
Viewpoint: Reject GM crops because they’re ‘not natural’? Here’s a primer on 9,000 years of human tampering with our food supply
One of the most frequently cited concerns about ‘genetically modified’ food is that it is ‘unnatural’ or as the then ...
Pesticides are critical to grow food, but concerns are widespread. Here’s why they are overblown – and a look at the cutting-edge RNA genetic tools designed to reduce health risks even more
For farmers to supply society with food, fiber and fuel they must battle pests. There is no magic, natural way ...
Viewpoint: GM drought-tolerant crops: Here is one biotech innovation that only anti-GMO science rejectionists can demonize
If you think biotech crops have some role to play in fighting global hunger, the Non-GMO Project is here to ...
‘Cities create a completely novel ecosystem’: How urban environments shape the evolution of plants, rats, fish and birds
Brown rats in New York City may be evolving smaller rows of teeth. Tiny fish across the Eastern US have ...
Analysis: We can’t limit climate change impact in agriculture unless we embrace biological solutions and move away from outdated farming techniques
In many circles, “biotechnology” is a four-letter word. Whether you’re a Jurassic Park truther, an anti-Monsanto activist, or an anti-Vaxxer, the ...
Children aren’t biologically programmed to be picky eaters, so why do we feed them sugary and ‘ultra-processed’ foods?
In countries such as the U.S. and Canada, the term “children’s food” conjures images of milk, sugary cereals, yogurt tubes, and ...
Viewpoint: As Africa faces climate change and farming disruptions, biotechnology-driven innovation offers hope. Why is it not more widely adopted?
On June 9th 2022, persistent rainfall swept through Lagos, Nigeria’s most populous and smallest state. The downpour led to loss ...
Do we unfairly label ‘invasive species’? Conservationists debate whether their positive qualities suggest a rethink
A little over a decade ago, Jason Gleditsch was removing Asian honeysuckle when he noticed the birds. Robins and gray ...
Naturally saffron-flavored rice? Here’s how scientists are using genetically modified tobacco and lemon to recreate the world’s most expensive spice
Biotechnology mass-produces valuable molecules from nature, from drugs to textiles to a jellyfish protein that lights up most anything a ...
‘Sustainable fondue’: Cattle and dairy farming produces billions of tons of CO2 each year. Here’s how climate-friendly lab-grown cheese can change that
Hi, I’m Will, and I have a cheese addiction. My partner regularly catches me swiping slices when I am cooking, ...
Most Americans don’t follow healthy food guidelines, promoting an FDA call to update them. Maybe they should rethink their strategy altogether
American eating patterns don’t match the FDA dietary guidelines for a healthy lifestyle. A recent survey revealed that 75% of people don’t eat ...
Viewpoint: Climate-conscious diet? Tradeoffs are key as every way of eating has an environmental impact
For instance, I enjoy eating meat, and I also care about the environment. Are the two mutually exclusive? Can only ...
Taking as many as 209 million cars off the road: How genetically modified (GM) crops have reduced global agriculture’s greenhouse gas emissions
Crop biotechnology has significantly reduced agriculture’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by helping farmers adopt more sustainable practices such as reduced ...
Genetically modified crops and sustainability: 25 years since their widespread introduction, yields are higher and the environmental footprint is smaller
Genetically modified (GM) crops have increased global food, feed and fiber production by nearly 1 billion tonnes (1 tonne equals ...
Viewpoint: Britain faces decision of whether to break from Europe’s innovation-killing regulations on CRISPR new plant and animal breeding
MPs and Lords are preparing to debate the remaining stages of the Precision Breeding Bill at Westminster. While a handful ...
British Member of Parliament urges UK to embrace sustainable biotechnologies, ignore Europe’s ideological rejection of genetic modification
Agriculture is possibly unique as a sector of the economy in its relationship with climate change. As an industry it ...
Viewpoint: 10 claims by anti-GMO African campaigners on why crop biotechnology advances should be rejected – and why they are wrong
Over 20 years, Africa’s foray into genetic modification (GM) crop development has faced stiff resistance from anti-GMO lobby groups that ...
51 experts weigh in on this survey on the nutritional health of the United States
Climate change was ranked the biggest threat to sustainability of food production in the U.S., with 51% of researchers ranking ...
Viewpoint: ‘Science doesn’t work through ad hominem attacks’ — UC Davis’ Alison Van Eenennaam challenges NY Times’ unsupported exposé of fellow scientist researching ways to reduce carbon footprint of cattle industry
Look I get it. The New York Times (NYT) does not like GMOs, industrial agriculture, factory farming or meat consumption ...
Viewpoint: Do you avoid GM crops because they were ‘made by science’ but buy organic food because it’s more ‘natural’? What does naturalness even mean?
Our obsession with products and farming systems perceived to be more natural risks preventing our food from being plentiful, affordable, ...
Kernza — a sustainable, perennial grain — may be a wildcard tool to help address climate change challenges in agriculture. What might limit its effectiveness?
In early April, a storm swept central Montana’s plains with 70-mile-per-hour winds. The gusts clawed at wheat fields, sending soil ...
Viewpoint: NY Times collaborates with Greenpeace in front page ‘hit piece’ targeting professor working to reduce the sustainability footprint of animal agriculture. Here’s his response
There’s a shocking revelation out there, and I am at the heart of it. Are you prepared for this? Animal ...
Viewpoint: ‘Adapt or else…’ — Why Britain is shaking off shackles of European crop biotechnology science-rejectionism and embracing gene editing
This summer, the United Kingdom took the issue of biotechnology and genomics out of the shadows and back into the ...
Precautionary Politics: Europe Moves Backward into a Fear-Based ‘Dark Ages’ in Regulating Agriculture and Cancer Risks
David Zaruk, Founder of GreenFacts, Environmental-Health Risk Governance Analyst, Professor at Odisee University College | July 25, 2018 Highlights: The ...
