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
GLP podcast: Medicinal psychedelics in California? ‘Lead-soaked tampons’ debunked; Why prescription drugs are so costly
California is considering a bill that would legalize psychedelics for medicinal use. Is this a science-based effort to improve health ...
When Greenpeace wins, we all lose: The cynical war on genetically engineered crops grinds on
"Their eyes tell their sad stories as ghostly white irises give way to vacant stares. We can look at them, ...
Viewpoint: Gene-editing roadblocks — Excessive regulations and a ‘guilty until proven innocent’ mindset hamper gene editing’s massive potential to address climate change
Jared Diamond (1997) observed that, "Any society goes through social movements or fads, in which economically useless things become valued ...
Breakthough Institute: Are cover crops the silver bullet to reduce agricultural carbon emissions as regenerative-farming enthusiasts claim? Time for a rethink
Cover cropping, the practice of planting secondary crops during the off-season to improve soil health, has roots stretching back to ...
As the EU’s regulatory stance on gene-edited crops slips back toward ‘precautionary inertia’, Europe’s over-precaution threatens global food security
Despite the much-hyped expectation that Europe was on course to follow other parts of the world in removing GMO-style regulatory ...
GLP podcast: Your brain on ‘magic mushrooms’; WEF v farming; Food ‘sensitivity’ tests are scams
People have been taking LSD recreationally for years, but it might turn out to be an effective treatment for depression ...
Environmental-Industrial Complex: How governments, advocacy groups, ‘progressive’ foundations and industry profit off of climate fears
Is history repeating itself? In 1961, US President Eisenhower gave an alarming farewell address, warning that the military-industrial (Congressional) complex ...
Viewpoint: Scared to Death — How chemophobia endangers public health — and what can be done to address this growing crisis
When I think about science and health disinformation, there are obvious trends. Of course, they exploit health anxiety, which causes ...
Video: Organic, non-gmo, gluten-free, keto? How food labels mislead us about health benefits
Dr. Mike Isratel of Renaissance Periodization explains how food labels can mislead consumers on the health benefits of eating their ...
Viewpoint: Captured by agroecology ideologues — The Conversation fans advocacy group propaganda challenging glyphosate safety
It is frustrating to read blatantly false science information online, but it’s a fact of our time. For years, we’ve ...
Viewpoint: How to best regulate chemicals? ‘Precautions employed to regulate tiny, sometimes nonexistent risks can cause real harm’
For virtually everything in life, we face decisions about whether we should “sweat the small stuff.” No doubt, most may ...
GLP podcast: Debunking opioid myths; Decaf coffee boosts cancer risk? No. Local food might not be better for the planet
Most of what you know about the opioid epidemic is probably wrong. One expert shares the facts about pain pills ...
Concerned you may have a food allergy? Don’t waste your money on ‘sensitivity tests’
Food “sensitivity” tests are sold direct-to-consumer and marketed as an easy and convenient way to detect an individual’s reactions to ...
Meet the beetles: Mealworms could be a food of the future
I have a special fondness for the yellow mealworm, Tenebrio molitor ...
Analysis: Misguided activist attacks on Africa’s push to increase the use of synthetic fertilizer — ‘Maintaining low agricultural yields won’t accomplish the climate and environmental goals rich Westerners purport to support’
One of the many impacts of Russia’s war against Ukraine was a spike in global food prices. Although food prices ...
GLP podcast: Lead in Lunchables? Dismantling Consumer Reports’ latest chemical scare
"Should You Pack Lunchables for Your Kid’s School Lunch?" Consumer Reports asked rhetorically in a recent headline. "CR's tests found ...
Viewpoint: England’s Precision Breeding Act ‘remains an empty shell and serves no functional purpose’ — Will politics scuttle crop gene editing future?
In March 2023, after 10 months of scrutiny and debate, both Houses of Parliament confirmed their mandate to remove precision ...
Viewpoint: Few topics in science, health and food elicit more fear and misconceptions than the phrase GMO, most of it based on intentional disinformation
Few topics in science, health and food elicit more fear and misconceptions than the phrase GMO, and most of it ...
Scientific evidence in the courtroom: The ‘Daubert standard’ is again under attack, opening the door to more junk science in controversial tort cases
The 1993 Daubert decision assigns to judges the role of “gatekeepers” – meaning judges must first vet scientific evidence before its submission ...
GLP podcast: CBD’s placebo effect; The right-wing raw milk conspiracy? Tattoos boost cancer risk? Unlikely
Does CBD treat pain, or is the marketing hype around this supplement just driven by the placebo effect? It appears ...
Viewpoint: Rockefeller Foundation and other advocacy organizations argue agricultural production ‘hides’ the ‘true’ cost of food, favoring big corporations and wealthy and wasteful countries to the planet’s detriment. Here’s the nuance behind the inflammatory rhetoric
The first battle in President Lydon Johnson’s “War on Poverty,” launched in 1964, was figuring out how to measure it ...
Viewpoint: Anti-biotechnology activists decry the ‘Bioengineered Ingredients’ label but exploit confusion over what it means in order to scare people
When the federal government decided in 2015 to establish uniform national standards for bioengineered food labels, anti-GMO crusaders went into ...
GLP podcast: Facts and myths about ‘ultra-processed food’; Time to transform our food system? Don’t trust AI chat bots to tell you the truth
Is there a corporate conspiracy to cover up the dangers of processed foods? A recent news report say yes. Let's ...
Food phobia: Activists want to scare us about safety and sustainability of what we eat. Here’s why they are (mostly) wrong
Today’s choir of food critics would have us all fear our food. But is that fear really justified? One happy ...
Viewpoint: Zombie ‘Moms Across America’ tries to link non-carcinogenic glyphosate to Celiac disease, autism and other health disorders
I can’t wait for the day when anti-science activists decide to cling to an entirely different pesticide to fixate on ...
GLP podcast: EPA wrong about ‘forever chemicals’? Heatwaves and drugs don’t mix; Idealistic activism harms public health
The EPA is facing a new crop of lawsuits brought by plaintiffs who say the agency's new guidance on "forever ...
Infographic: Global regulatory and health research agencies on whether glyphosate causes cancer
A jury decision, while significant, is not a substitute for scientific research ...
