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
From GMOs to neonics, what’s causing bee deaths?
An upsurge in reported bee deaths--often referred to incorrectly as Colony Collapse Disorder--has led to concerns that GMOs and/or a ...
Chinese, with genetic research lagging, caught stealing ‘designer’ hybrid seeds
China's latest economic espionage target may be biotech seeds in an attempt to circumvent years of costly and expensive research ...
Both sides of the GMO food fight are fighting for the same ends
On either side of the GMO fight, you find combatants in fierce agreement about the right of all people to ...
What does the future hold for the sharp European-US divide over GMOs?
Thirty years of experience has not simplified or eased the tensions over the need for genetically modified foods that divides ...
First African study on biodiversity in GM maize finds insects abundant
Previous studies around the world have concluded that the biodiversity of insects in GM crop fields was essentially the same ...
How useful are animal studies for assessing GM foods?
If in doubt feed it to a rat and see what happens. So goes the philosophy of some risk assessment ...
“Organic Shmorganic” says Slate: Organic produce no healthier than conventional
Does feeding your child organic food really makes a difference to his health, considering that heโs been known to lick ...
Fish oil without the fish
Fish oil, used as a health supplement and feed for fish, could soon come from a GM crop rather than ...
Why does the debate on GMOs matter?
Nathanael Johnson's six-month "Panic-Free GMOs" series at Grist recently ended with a whimper -- claiming "none of it matters" -- ...
Change in Right to Farm Act would reverse Big Island GMO ban
Hawaii state legislators have introduced a bill that โ if passed โ will overrule Hawaii Countyโs ban on new GMO ...
In response to Grist’s Johnson, Mother Jones’ Tom Philpott argues GMOs lead ag down wrong path
In another response to Grist's Nathanael Johnson's recent series on GMOs, Mother Jones' Tom Philpott presents an anti-GMO view and ...
Response to Grist’s Johnson: Ramez Nam on why GMOs matterโespecially for the developing world
After Grist ran Nathanael Johnsonโs summary essay in his sixth month series, What I learned from six months of GMO ...
Amy Harmon GMO redux: Targeting female journalists for deviating from ideological expectations
Journalist Amy Wallace explores gender expectations in science communication and overcoming bias in writing about GMOs and other important topics ...
Ted Talks and videos on the science of GMOs
Blogger Cami Ryan has compiled a list of Ted talks and videos that relay reliable scientific evidence on GMOs ...
Are consumer perceptions of biotech crops changing?
A new report from researchers at the University of Florida suggests that the public's perception of biotech crops could be ...
Nathanael Johnson lets the anti-GMO movement off the hook
Grist columnist Nathanael Johnson recently completed a 26 part series on GMOs by seemingly letting the anti-GMO movement off the ...
The GMO ‘Population and Prosperity Paradox’: Can biotechnology help meet the growing global food challenge?
Using the innovative tools of biotechnology, scientists are able to genetically engineer crops with traits that can address the challenges ...
Organic farmer deconstructs ‘the scientist’ vs. ‘the activist’ in Don Huber’s talks
Who is Don Huber and why is he making claims about 'dangerous pathogens' linked to GMOs and glyphosate--without any hard ...
Video: Bill Gates says GM traits critical to improve drought resistance seeds, feed developing world
During a recent event at UC Berkeley, Bill Gates discussed the controversy surrounding GMOs and their importance for global food ...
Will a non-browing GM apple irreparably hurt the fruit’s image?
The non-browning Arctic Apple should appeal to consumers and food service companies, but will this benefit also make the GM ...
Nathaneal Johnson: All or nothing debate over GMOs–Does any of it matter?
Johnson bemoans that too much of the conversation about GMOs remains stuck on cliches and focused on extremes and ideology--not ...
GM halo effect: Can GM crops protect conventional and organic farming?
GM papaya in Hawaii is one of numerous examples of the so-called "halo effect"-- the sustainable benefits conferred on organic ...
U.S. food industry giants fire preemptive strike, seek federal GMO law
Giants of the U.S. food industry, who have spent millions fighting state GMO initiatives, are taking a page from their ...
Were insects pollinating 100 million years ago? Ancient plants found in amber suggest so
Scientists recently discovered a 100-million-year-old piece of amber, which revealed the oldest evidence yet of sexual reproduction in a flowering ...
Why the Cheerio GMO story won’t go away soon
Did General Mills cravenly capitulate to anti-science protestors? Are executives responsibly responding to fragile and changing market demand? Is the ...
Activists play Agent Orange scare card in hopes of derailing USDA approval of 2,4-D resistant corn and soybeans
Agent orange GMO? New genetically modified corn and soybean seeds, already approved in Canada for rollout this year, are closer ...
Cheerio to GMOs in Cheerios
America's fourth best-selling cereal is now being made without GMOs, a concession to activists who have been pilloring the company's ...
