Food & Agriculture Features
Worried about eating a bacon burger? That’s orthorexia–Misplaced obsessions of the affluent
It’s become very fashionable to get overly focused and concerned over the food choices we have. Guess what: That's as ...
Consumer Reports, anti-GMOers bizarre attack on Bt pesticide used by organic farmers
There goes Consumer Reports again, with another scientifically illiterate attack on conventional agriculture and genetic engineering, this time targeting Bt ...
Arsenic in your food? Scared? Shouldn’t be, but if so there’s a GMO fix
Arsenic levels are high in rice and rice products, since the rice plants take it up from groundwater. New research ...
Gardener alert: Burpee and Buzzy seed companies cashing in on anti-Big Ag hysteria
It's planting season and gardeners are taking to the soil. Alas, two of the country's largest home seed companies are ...
Malpractice on Dr. Oz: Case of the maligned Arctic Apple
Dr. Oz gets it wrong again on science, this time on genetic engineering on last week's show on the non-browning ...
Infographic: Are Europeans more opposed to GMOs than North Americans?
What do Europeans really think about GMOs? Are they as skeptical of the technology as is the European political establishment ...
Jeffrey Smith: ‘I know nothing about GMOs but that doesn’t stop me from promoting junk science’
Jeffrey Smith, head of one-man band and rabidly anti-GMO organization Institute for Responsible Technology, has taken aim at two respected ...
Bananas, monoculture and biotech solution: No, Michael Pollan, GMOs do not limit genetic diversity
The Panama disease ravished Cavendish banana is a cautionary tale of the vulnerabilities of monoculture crops. Can biotechnology play a ...
Funny Pages: Santa Monica restaurant serves only foods approved by Food Babe–Nothing!
A new Southern California restaurant will only be serving foods approved by Vani Hari. But the Food Babe has said, ...
Anti-GMO activists leverage glyphosate cancer reclassification to resurrect discredited claims
The WHO reclassification of glyphosate that's paired with herbicide resistant GM crops has led to a swirl of claims that ...
In wake of Owen Paterson rebuke of anti-GMO ‘Green Blob’, advocates and opponents play tug-of-war over Africa
Owen Paterson's recent speech on the green lobby's role in blocking GMOs in Africa stirred some strong responses from both ...
What happens when Big Data meets Big Ag?
Big Data is the 'next new thing' in agriculture. It's captured the imagination of investors and has resulted in dramatic ...
Does herbicide glyphosate make wheat ‘toxic’? Science, farmers say ‘no’
There's been a lot of talk about the alleged dangers "toxic wheat" circulating the Internet, and even a lot of ...
USDA study concludes neonics not driving bee deaths—As White House set to announce pollinator revival plan’
Neonicotinoids have been in the crosshairs of advocacy groups desperate to do something--anything--to address the crisis of bee die offs ...
Is glyphosate–herbicide linked to GMOs–carcinogenic? Not if science matters.
Glyphosate is back in the crosshairs of after a global health advisory group review conclude the common herbicide may cause ...
GMO-Luddite debate: Are anti-technology “progressives” promoting poverty or preserving traditions?
Of the top emerging technologies predicted to flourish in 2015, two have an immediate impact on GMOs and the genetics ...
Death of British journalist after eating organic peanuts highlights absurdity of GMO safety scare
The tragic death of a British journalist in Uganda who died of a toxic reaction to an organic groundnut underscores ...
Beyond ‘romance’ of organics: 6 ignored sustainable practices organic proponents should embrace
Organic farming is often promoted by followers as 'close to Nature'--the sustainable way to grow food. Although some organic techniques ...
Peak food? Can food tech supercharge crop yields and address global food security?
Breakthroughs are helping researchers 'supercharge' photosynthesis and increase rice yields. But anti-GMO critics say food security should focus on distribution, ...
#ScientistsArePeople! “Mommy PhD” campaign challenges anti-GMO death, rape threats against scientists
I'm a scientist. Yet when I go on to advocacy blogs to share science-based information, my comments are deleted. I’m ...
Nina Fedoroff, Kevin Folta, GLP’s Jon Entine push back on organic-led attack on biotech academic research
In a wide-ranging discussion, HuffPost Live host Josh Zepps discusses the document demands on biotech scientists and the parallels with ...
Investigative food journalism should go for more than the yuck factor
Recent articles in the UK news media have 'lifted the lid' on the production of convenience food. While on the ...
Cornell Alliance students challenge ‘anti-GMO bullies’ over FOI demand
The Cornell Alliance for Science--a global initiative for science-based communications at Cornell University--has launched a petition to support biotech scientists ...
Organic farmer says “no” to organic-led ‘New MacDonald’ GMO demonization campaign
Polarizing "New McDonald" video sparks outrage among organic farmers more interested in sustainable farming than winning debate points. Will this ...
Why do strawberries taste like straw, and can genetics bring flavor back to the big red berry
The modern supermarket strawberry looks sumptuous but often tastes like...well, straw. With a bit of help from modern genetics, can ...
Synbio firm Intrexon snaps up Okanagan, developers of new GM Arctic Apple
Those wondering whether the the newly approved GMO fruit, Arctic Apple, has a future now know: With this merger/take-over, new ...
Federal GMO labeling bill garners support from skeptical growers
The failures of statewide GMO labeling initiatives and the possibility that the courts will throw out the Vermont mandatory law ...