Daily Food & Ag Digest
Every day, the staff of the Genetic Literacy Project scours the Web for stories on a range of agricultural and food issues, including the GMO debate, conventional and organic farming, regulations, new breeding technologies and sustainability. We publish excerpts of those stories and encourage our readers to visit the original publications for the complete stories.
Pesticide safety basics: How does the EPA protect consumers from harmful chemicals?
In our blogs, we often reference Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) safety levels or “tolerances” when discussing [pesticide] residues. But how ...
Gene-edited plants and animals: Our secret weapons in the battle to slow climate change?
Nearly 200 nations signed on to the Paris Agreement in 2016, pledging to reduce their countries’ greenhouse gas emissions. By ...
Viewpoint: EU approves new herbicide resistant GMO soy for human and feed consumption, but won’t allow its farmers to grow it
[EU regulators recently] approved Bayer’s new XtendFlex soybeans for food and animal-feed use. Bayer’s latest GMO is resistant to three ...
Spillover effect: Could GMO disinformation shake public trust in other scientific innovations?
In 2016, the World Economic Forum listed online digital misinformation as one of the leading threats to modern societies. Campaigns ...
Cuban president says GM crops and agroecology can help sustainably boost food production
One of the Cuban government’s priorities is to achieve the highest possible agricultural production with the decisive contribution of science ...
Viewpoint: Pesticide residues on food could be 100,000 times higher—and still wouldn’t harm your health
The idea that “nonorganic” produce, typically referred to as “conventional” produce, is unsafe to eat is pervasive, and it largely ...
No evidence GMO chestnut trees harm humans, animals or the environment, developers tell USDA
Researchers at the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF) have developed Darling 58 American ...
Neonicotinoids pesticide ban decimates UK canola yields—encouraging imports of neonics-treated canola
UK oilseed rape yields and crop area have declined dramatically after a year of extreme weather and uncontrollable crop decimation ...
GM insect-resistant Bt eggplant could help Philippines prevent as much as 73% crop losses, cut ‘almost daily’ pesticide use
Eggplant production in the Philippines suffers severe yield losses from insect pests, diseases, and extreme environmental conditions. The most destructive ...
Natural is better? Fungus used in organic pesticides may cause ‘severe rot’ in corn, study finds
Protecting crops against pests and diseases is essential to ensure a secure food supply. Around 95 percent of food comes ...
Agroecology must be based in reality, not romanticism, panelists agree
Agroecology has a role to play in transforming agriculture — so long as the movement doesn’t trump the science or ...
Europe approves imports of new GM herbicide-resistant soy, despite objections from Green Party, organic advocates
The genetically modified (GM) soybean, the XtendFlex, was approved after a comprehensive authorization procedure, including a scientific assessment by the ...
GM insect-resistant Bt corn boosts crop yields over 30%, cuts insecticide use 78% in Vietnam, study finds
This study assessed the farm-level economic and environmental impacts from the use of genetically modified (GM) corn in Vietnam (resistant ...
Trust in scientists high globally, Pew survey finds, but public still skeptical of GM crops
The good news is that there’s widespread trust in scientists and a strong desire to act on their findings on ...
Estimated 140,000 plants facing extinction, report finds, threatening progress in medicine, farming
Plants and fungi hold promise as future medicines, fuels and foods, according to the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. But opportunities ...
‘More harm than good’: How well-meaning urban beekeepers can jeopardize wild colonies
Urban beekeeping has grown so trendy that it may be doing more harm than good — with the practice becoming ...
How do we know GM crops don’t harm people with food allergies?
Genetically modified crops can offer a range of environmental and health benefits, such as reduced usage of chemical pesticides, improved ...
Medicine for plants: Stomach infection drug protects vital food crops from deadly pathogens
Scientists from Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (MLU) and the University of the State of Paraná in Brazil have discovered that ...
FDA releases free ‘Feed your mind’ curriculum to teach students about GMOs
[September 29], the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has posted additional “Feed Your Mind” consumer education materials. Developed in ...
Nigeria’s maize import ban could boost adoption of GM varieties
Though a ban on maize imports could accelerate Nigeria’s adoption of genetically modified (GM) TELA maize, it may be two ...
Viewpoint: There’s nothing wrong with organic farming, but it’s not the ‘pinnacle of sustainability’
Organic food sales in the United States reached $50.1 billion in 2019, up 4.6% from the previous year, according to ...
Infographic: Cows cause climate change? Agriculture scientist says ‘belching bovines’ get too much blame
A recent interview by Caroline Stocks, a UK journalist who writes about food, agriculture and the environment, of air quality ...
Bayer faces fast-approaching deadline to settle glyphosate-cancer litigation before new trials begin
Bayer AG is up against a fast-approaching deadline to settle remaining lawsuits over its Roundup weedkiller or face the prospect ...
GMO insect-resistant Bt cotton ‘as safe as’ conventional counterpart, study finds
Genetically engineered crops expressing insecticidal and herbicide-tolerant traits offer a new strategy for crop protection and enhanced production; however, at ...
Bolivian court dismisses legal challenge to GMO rules, a victory over ‘ridiculous’ arguments, farm group says
After almost 10 hours of hearings, arguments, and counterarguments, the First Constitutional Chamber denied the appeal of Popular Action brought ...
Bayer settles 45,000 of 125,000 glyphosate-cancer suits, bringing litigation closer to $11 billion end
Attorneys for Bayer AG and consumers suing the company over allegations its Roundup weedkiller caused cancer told a judge on ...
Viewpoint: GMOs don’t boost crop yields? Yes, they do. Here’s the evidence
[A]doption of GMOs does, in fact, increase ultimate crop yield. The myth that they don’t is mostly due to the ...
