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
Opinion: GMO opponents in ‘frenzied heat’ trying to discredit Food Evolution movie
Michael Pollan, Marion Nestle and other anti-GMO activists have complained that the documentary Food Evolution is nothing more than a ...
Opinion | Putin’s ‘sock puppets’: How Russia ‘uses’ anti-GMO activists to undermine crop biotech and science
In its promotion of 'fake news,' Russia is committed to undermining US technological advantages by using anti-GMO activists to spread ...
Food Evolution’s NYC premiere proof science and reason can win over GMO skeptics
Change is hard. But a skeptical New York City crowd's reaction to Food Evolution, a new documentary about GMOs, provides ...
Plight of the monarch: Threatened by more than the loss of milkweed food supply
Anti-GMO critics often blame the herbicide glyphosate for monarch butterfly population declines, as it kills the insect's habitat--weeds. But a ...
Why one scientist refuses to buy organic foods
Many consumers opt for organic food thinking it is healthier and is grown more sustainably. One plant scientist challenges the ...
Opinion: Activists—not biotech companies—responsible for public backlash against GMOs
Biotech companies like Monsanto are often blamed for not doing enough to combat consumer skepticism of GM foods. But anti-GMO ...
‘Food Evolution’ movie could mark turning point in public GMO discussion
Food Evolution, a documentary about the GMO debate, brings pro-science perspectives into the mainstream and casts a harsh light on ...
WHO’s IARC under fire for ignoring exculpatory data on glyphosate: Should it be reformed or abolished?
Independent scientists challenge IARC's use of 'hazard' rather than 'risk' analysis--its operating premise that a substance should be ‘labeled’ carcinogenic ...
Words matter: Goodbye ‘GMO’?
The popular terms 'GMO' and 'genetically modified' contribute to the public's negative perceptions of genetically engineered foods? How can we ...
Activists fan concerns about CRISPR ‘off target’ effects in gene-edited crops and foods. Are they right?
Off-target simply means an unintended effect as opposed to what researcher's are trying to produce. It's akin to side effects ...
Winemakers abandoning organic status for sustainability, improved taste
The shift has been more common in France, where wineries have cited concerns about the environment and copper buildup from ...
Can consumers rely on the credibility of the USDA organic label?
The reliability of the USDA organic label is under fire by the Washington Post, challenging the practices of some large ...
20-year GMO report card: Biotech shrinks ag’s ecological impact, increased farm income $167 billion
Genetic modification has had a dramatic impact on crop production, agricultural sustainability and the economics of farming, in the 26 ...
Does Consumer Reports mislead readers by promoting Non-GMO Project label?
Consumer Reports claims to provide consumers with unbiased information about products and services. But the site is accused of exploiting ...
Biofortification: Is it the next ‘Green Revolution’ for more nutritious food?
Plant breeders and biotechnologists are working to make crops more nutritious--a process called biofortification--to improve the diets and health of ...
Bette Midler criticizes Monsanto’s seed patent contracts—and gets schooled by farmers
Bette Midler attempted to "educate" her Twitter followers about the contracts farmers sign with Monsanto, prohibiting saving and replanting of ...
Sustainability myth: Stanford misleads students about organic farming’s reduced environmental impact
The promotion of 'sustainable' organic farming at one of the nation's top universities shows just how pervasive myths about conventional ...
‘Science mom’ challenges meal delivery service Blue Apron’s non-GMO food policy
Blue Apron's non-GMO policy stirs up a hornets' nest of reaction by pro-science moms on a quest to take on ...
Activists claim that without long-term studies, GMOs cannot be considered safe: What does science say?
No multi-generational GMO food studies? Bollocks. There are dozens, and all conclude biotech seeds are as safe or safer than ...
Conflict of interest? Mother Jones’ Tom Philpott’s connections to organic industry raise concerns
Journalist Tom Philpott, who covers food and farming issues at Mother Jones, was recently the keynote speaker at a fundraising ...
10 years after Colony Collapse Disorder scare, what have we learned about the plight of bees?
Managed honey bees are afflicted by a range of pests, viruses and predators--the worst being the Varroa mite--that have been ...
European Commission: Scientists find neonicotinoids don’t harm bees, restrictions hurt farmers—but support permanent ban
The EU's Joint Research Center found that the temporary ban on neonics did not help bees and hurt farmers' ability ...
‘Naturalistic fallacy’: Explaining anti-GMO—anti-vaccine ideological and financial links
Both the anti-GMO movement and the anti-vaccine movement are predicated on the myth that "natural" is better. They also share ...
Anti-vax Organic Consumers Association, linked to measles outbreak, has deep ties to anti-GMO conspiracist USRTK
The Organic Consumers Association uses its sizable budget to fund front groups, like Gary Ruskin's US Right to Know, that ...
Video: Obama on GMOs — ‘Humanity has always engaged in genetic modifications’
The former president said that, like climate change, science drives his views on biotechnology. He advocated for prudent legislation and ...
Bangladesh’s embrace of GMO technology may embolden innovation in developing countries
Bangladesh's successful application of biotechnology and development of its own GM crops could serve as a model for other developing ...
Trolls and shills: How disinformation sites InfoWars, Natural News and US Right to Know manufacture fake news
Lawyers suing Monsanto say the company pays people to defend it online, without citing any evidence to back up the ...
