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.
Don’t fear white bread. It’s more nutritious today than it was 200 years ago, new analysis shows
A study comparing historic and modern wheat varieties grown side by side has shown an increase in dietary fiber and ...
Native Australian plant may help develop disease-resistant crops—and a COVID-19 vaccine
A team from the Queensland University of Technology (QUT) spearheaded the genome sequencing of an ancient Australian plant years before ...
CRISPR could yield herbicide-resistant, non-GMO soybeans to help combat stubborn weeds
It is often said that a soybean’s maximum yield potential is when it is still in the bag .... [E]verything ...
Pesticide-spraying drones accelerate sustainable farming as governments relax regulations
Move over dogs – drones are a farmer’s new best friend! In just a few years there’s been a huge ...
Temperature-sensing plant molecule could help breed food crops optimized for changing climate
In a paper published in Nature Communications, a group of cell biologists .... reveal the phytochrome B molecule has unexpected ...
Rising food prices amid coronavirus pandemic stress already fragile economies in developing world
As the coronavirus pandemic penetrates more deeply into global supply chains, prices for key staples are starting to soar in ...
Video: World has lots of food, but COVID-19 trade restrictions hamper supermarket restocking efforts
The food industry is struggling to cope with the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. Restrictions on transportation links that move ...
GMO and organic crops can coexist with minimal risk of contamination, multiple studies confirm
In 2020, the world accommodates nearly 7.8 billion people. By 2050, world population is expected to reach 9.8 billion. With ...
Viewpoint: Contradictory evidence exposes critical flaws in International Agency for Research on Cancer glyphosate assessment
This commentary does not concern itself with the need for, or the value of glyphosate as an agrochemical: rather it ...
Global access to education is growing. Here’s how GMO crops might be helping
One of the consistent benefits of GM crop adoption has been a higher farm and household income. In an assessment ...
Online grocers struggle to meet demand as COVID-19 keeps shoppers away from supermarkets
A pandemic forcing everyone to stay home could be the perfect moment for online grocery services. In practice, they’ve been ...
Viewpoint: AARP misleads elderly about health, environmental benefits of organic food
Scaring old people is a time-tested strategy to scrounge up votes .... The coronavirus has made scamming even easier. The ...
‘I’m a GMO’: Melanoma survivor explains how biotech improves cancer treatments and our food supply
Several years ago I felt several bumps on my head which turned out to be active melanoma tumors .... The ...
Viewpoint: Africa’s battle against locust swarms exposes folly of fearing pesticides and GMOs
Europeans are panic-buying in the supermarkets around the continent .... The retailers are being overrun, but the only real shortage ...
Video: As coronavirus closes restaurants, farmers sell produce directly to consumers
Farming is becoming a forgotten business due to the coronavirus. Normally, around this time of year, farmers in Florida would ...
This health writer used to fear the ‘Dirty Dozen.’ Here’s why she quit worrying about pesticides on food
I have a confession: My shopping and eating habits have been influenced by the “Dirty Dozen” and “Clean 15” lists ...
Many grocery stores are running low on milk, so why are dairy farmers throwing out their supplies?
We are holding our breath waiting for the call that others have received telling them that the milk their farm ...
Coronavirus may force massive changes to restaurant industry, including customer temperature checks
Many are dreaming about what they'll do when the coronavirus pandemic is behind us. People are already imagining their first ...
Tequila-powered cars: Will biofuel from agave plants help avert energy shortages?
The agave plant used to make tequila could be established in semi-arid Australia as an environmentally friendly solution to Australia's ...
Viewpoint: From GMOs to vaccines to climate change, we need to challenge anti-science activism in the 2020s
The last decade was remarkable for a rise in antiscience activities, especially in the areas of climate change, air pollution, ...
Soy protein could help turn lab-grown steaks into realistic beef alternatives
Currently scientists have only produced relatively tiny nuggets of lab-grown meat, which can imitate ground beef for use in hamburgers ...
Could indoor ‘freight farms’ provide ideal growing conditions for CRISPR-edited crops?
The technology and innovation moving within modern day agriculture is so fast-paced and expansive, you can find futuristic solutions, ideas, ...
Washing your food with soap won’t kill coronavirus—but it could make you very sick
The debate around giving your fruits and veggies a bubble bath blew up [in late March] following a viral video ...
95.5% of Europe’s produce below legal pesticide limits, posing little risk to consumers, food safety officials say
EFSA has published its annual report on pesticide residues found in food in the European Union. The report is based ...
How GMO, gene-edited crops can help feed billions of people without fueling climate change
We face a formidable challenge in the years ahead. We need to reduce [carbon] emissions and also sustain a growing ...
Video: What would happen if all the world’s farmers grew organic food?
Stuck at home without your usual organic veggies? Just buy regular ones. They're safe, nutritious and might even be better ...
Pigs could accelerate coronavirus vaccine development
The Pirbright Institute is joining in the global battle to help control COVID-19 by using its unique expertise and facilities ...
