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.
Americans think they know about GMOs, but poll shows consumers still badly confused
As a non-expert consumer, it’s hard to know what to think about GMOs. Of course, we’re already consuming them, with ...
Sequenced wheat genome will help scientists combat disease in earth’s most widely-grown crop
The complete sequence of the huge wheat genome [was published August 16th], and the enormous dataset will accelerate innovation in ...
Organic pet food is ‘considerably more expensive’ than traditional alternatives but nutrient benefits insignificant
Perceived as being healthier alternatives to conventionally farmed foods, organics are often significantly more expensive – according to Consumer Reports, ...
Growing GMO soybeans in South America cut greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to removing 3.3 million cars from the road
This study assesses the economic and environmental impacts that have arisen from the adoption and use of genetically modified (GM) ...
Viewpoint: IARC’s defenders ignore cancer agency’s flawed research, conflicts of interest
I woke up .... to find an article by Neil Pearce, a professor at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, ...
Citing food safety concerns, Senator Chuck Schumer demands FDA release glyphosate study
The [FDA] has test results [on the herbicide glyphosate] that’s been popping up in everyday foods like breakfast cereals and ...
The disconnect between predictions of a ‘bee-apocalypse’ and rising bee populations
Media stories around bee-apocalypse and imminent collapse of the human food system require a dose of reality. ... There are ...
Viewpoint: Monsanto is no victim, but Roundup-cancer verdict isn’t backed by science
At the outset, let’s stipulate — as the lawyers might say — that the chemical giant Monsanto is not well ...
Argentina introduces GMO potato to combat virus that destroys up to 70% of nation’s crop
The Ministry of Food and Bioeconomy, under the Ministry of Agribusiness of Argentina, authorized the commercialization of the seed, and ...
Roundup for breakfast? Checking the math on claims that glyphosate infects breakfast foods
No one wants .... to give their children a breakfast that is contaminated with weed killer. That’s why a new ...
Nigerian biotech startup introduces produce coating to combat malnutrition in Africa
Nigerian biotech startup Coating+ .... has created a transparent gelatinous coating that is sprayed onto fresh fruit and vegetables to prolong their shelf ...
How anti-GMO groups copy advocacy ‘tactics’ from the anti-meat movement
The money trail behind [organic] food companies and activist groups is shocking, and there are similarities between the anti-GMO movement and the ...
Plaintiff’s story convinced jury of glyphosate-cancer link, but other courts may rule the herbicide is safe
Despite a San Francisco jury’s verdict [August 10th] that the cancer .... of a Bay Area school groundskeeper was caused ...
GAANTRY: USDA develops ‘gene-stacking’ solution to fungal pathogens—but will it actually work?
If climate change is the new normal, farmers in some regions of the world will have to get used to ...
Viewpoint: Verdict in glyphosate trial suggests environmental activists are fair-weather fans of science
[A]re scientists supposed to be the folk heroes of environmental activists or not? When the subject is climate change they ...
If Ghana follows Nigeria’s lead and approves Bt cotton, it could jump-start its textile industry
Nigeria’s decision to commercialize Bt cotton has revived hopes for the novel variety in Ghana, its West African neighbor. Science-focused ...
Viewpoint: Trying to make smart food choices? Ignore what celebrities say about GMOs
Studies have confirmed that people are more likely to believe celebrities and politicians over scientists when it comes to medical advice ...
Viewpoint: France’s agricultural policies giving rise to ‘green totalitarianism’
[France] is slowly drowning reason in a mass of ideologies that stifle common sense. On glyphosate, the French Association for ...
In wake of California jury’s glyphosate verdict, New Zealand likely won’t revisit conclusion that herbicide is safe
A lot has been said about a recent court case ruling about Monsanto’s Roundup ..... Adding to the mix, in ...
Viewpoint: Jury’s glyphosate cancer ruling doesn’t change fact that all farmers need pesticides to grow food
It may seem like Judgment Day has come for glyphosate, with a California jury slapping $289 million in damages on Monsanto Co ...
A farmer’s view on educating consumers about GMOs, pesticides and sustainable food
My family’s farm began in 1880s with a sod house and an intrepid couple—the Banmans—willing to brave the unforgiving Canadian ...
In landmark case, activist attempt to block introduction of GMO corn dismissed by Nigerian High Court
Just two weeks after Nigeria’s federal government approved the commercialization of Bt cotton, scientists scored another victory with a court judgment ...
Glyphosate and cancer—revisited
I’ve already written about this topic back in 2015. Much of the information below is from that original blog post, ...
No link between increased pesticide use and childhood cancer, study suggests
Like the word "chemical," the word "pesticide" has been hijacked and then unfairly demonized. Scientists use the word pesticide to refer to ...
Roundup trial: California jury’s glyphosate verdict spurs effort to ban the herbicide in Europe
A landmark court ruling in the U.S. holding Monsanto liable for causing cancer through its glyphosate-based weedkiller is adding fuel ...
Reflections on the glyphosate cancer ruling: Citing court decisions is common tactic among science deniers
Most people have probably seen the recent news that Monsanto has been ordered to pay $289 million following the ruling ...
Canada will phase out two kinds of neonicotinoids in 2021, citing harm to bee populations
The federal government will begin phasing out the outdoor use of nicotine-based pesticides beginning in 2021 ... Neonicotinoids, or neonics, ...
