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.
Viewpoint: Bayer ‘open for looting’ as company battles 11,000 glyphosate-cancer lawsuits
The vagaries of American tort law were on display in San Francisco....as six jurors decided that Bayer AG is liable ...
Avoiding fruits and vegetables because of pesticides is bad for your health, dietitian warns
I wonder why during National Nutrition Month, when we dietitians are encouraging everyone to increase nutritious foods such as vegetables and fruits, ...
Speedy conclusion to US-China ‘trade tensions’ could foster farming innovation
It would be a timely piece of good news for American farmers if the United States and China could reach ...
From high-yielding rice to disease-resistant oranges, CRISPR-edited crops could save our favorite foods
Some of the foods we know and love could be gone from the planet faster than you might think - chocolate ...
Everything you should know about colony collapse disorder and ‘disappearing’ bee populations
During the winter of 2006-2007, beekeepers around the country began reporting unusually high losses of their hives. Between 30 percent ...
Bayer lawsuit: Plaintiff witness rejects EPA Roundup safety assessment as next glyphosate-cancer trial begins
At the start of testimony in what looks to be a long and contentious trial over whether [Bayer's herbicide] Roundup ...
Neonicotinoid insecticide ban fuels ‘big rise’ in cabbage stem flea beetle damage to UK oilseed rape crops
Oilseed rape crops across southern England are seeing a big rise in pest damage from cabbage stem flea beetles, with ...
Podcast: AquaBounty to begin raising GMO AquAdvantage salmon in US as soon as April 2019
A land-based fish farm in East Central Indiana will begin raising AquAdvantage Salmon, genetically engineered Atlantic salmon, as soon as ...
US Roundup-cancer trials spur glyphosate import ban in Vietnam
Vietnam has banned the import of glyphosate-containing herbicides after a U.S. court ruled that a weed killer, produced and sold ...
‘Impossible Whopper’: Burger King plans roll out of plant-based GMO burger
Burger King has a plan to bring in new customers and encourage existing ones to buy more often: Vegetarian Whoppers ...
Glyphosate-cancer legal battle raises investor doubts about Bayer’s purchase of Monsanto
Bayer has to pay out $81 million in damages to a man who claims the Roundup weedkiller caused his cancer, a ...
GMO tomato demonstrates ‘high levels’ of resistance to root knot nematode in new study
Root knot nematode is one of the serious problems in growing solanceous crops including tomato. Thus, scientists from the University ...
Controversial weed killer dicamba could have outsized negative impact on consumer perceptions of pesticide safety
For better or worse, the widespread use of dicamba is pushing an entire industry to scrutinize how herbicides behave, how ...
EU bans popular fungicide chlorothalonil, citing ‘high risk’ to amphibians, fish and bumblebees
One of the world’s most common pesticides will soon be banned by the European Union after safety officials reported human health and ...
How synthetic biology can cut nitrogen pollution and help reverse climate change
“I should say that I’m probably the doom and gloom story,” said the World Economic Forum’s Nishan Degnarain to laughter, ...
US Senator Todd Young eager to sample just-approved sustainable AquaBounty GMO fish
After touring a land-based fish farm that is preparing to raise genetically engineered salmon, U.S. Senator Todd Young is ready ...
Podcast: Plant geneticist Kevin Folta explains how to combat consumer fear of GMOs
Dr. Kevin Folta discusses science communication (the communication of science-related topics to non-experts). Part of his work is helping people ...
Without glyphosate, farmers in seven Asian countries face $1.4-$1.9 billion increase in weed control costs, study finds
A new paper published in the journal Agbioforum points to higher weed control costs, less effective weed control, more difficult access ...
EPA may override state pesticide regulations, including stricter dicamba weed killer rules
State regulators are worried that the Environmental Protection Agency is getting ready to override them on a host of pesticide ...
Photosynthesis-efficient rice could help meet surging food demand in developing countries
Work is well underway to engineer a rice plant in a way that global production of the grain gets a dramatic ...
5 organic food facts to consider before your next Whole Foods visit
[T]he affinity for buying and eating organic has spread like wildfire, especially in the last couple of years. People are ...
Roundup lawsuit: Jury in glyphosate-cancer case awards plaintiff $81 million
A U.S. jury on [March 27] awarded $81 million to a man who claimed his use of Bayer AG's glyphosate-based ...
Oregon’s proposed neonicotinoid insecticide restrictions spark debate over necessity of pesticides
Two bills restricting certain pesticides [got hearings on March 26] in the Oregon legislature. Marie Bowers is a fifth generation ...
UK experiencing ‘widespread’ decline of insect pollinators, new study claims
Great Britain is in great trouble....it’s running out of pollinators. The Center for Ecology & Hydrology measured the presence of ...
LEGO-inspired research gives lab-grown meat more realistic texture
A group of food scientists who are working to create lab-grown meat have found inspiration in an unlikely source: LEGOs. According ...
Roundup trial: Plaintiff in glyphosate-cancer lawsuit asks for $18 million in damages as jury deliberations continue
Arguing that agrochemical company Monsanto has spent decades deceiving consumers about the dangers of its popular Roundup weed killer, attorneys ...
Neonicotinoid insecticide ban, bad weather could cut Europe’s already slumping sugar beet yields
Farmers in western Europe have begun sugar beet planting, with first indications pointing to a drop in area for the ...
