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.
‘Probiotics is a waste of money’: Scientists push back against Dr. Oz claims that the supplements he promotes provide health benefits
Our bodies—and guts, specifically—depend on a balance of bacteria to “maintain healthy blood sugar and cholesterol levels,” but “you gotta ...
Women have long been encouraged to monitor their nutrition during pregnancy. Men need to watch their food intake too—but before conception
For decades, fertility research has focused on maternal health, but groundbreaking new research is shifting the conversation. A growing body ...
Viewpoint: Trump’s tariffs are squeezing American farmers. We are still in wait-and-see territory but tensions are building
The trade war hit my farm and greenhouse business here in northwest Missouri on March 4. The first email I ...
Viewpoint: For European farming to innovate, patents are critical
EU policymakers are currently negotiating new rules for developing innovative plant varieties through new genomic techniques (NGTs). These techniques allow plant breeders ...
Cosmic cuisine: Synthetic biologists are exploring cellular agriculture to grow food in space
[P]roducing food in space is incredibly difficult. There is very limited space aboard spacecraft, and microgravity impacts the growth of ...
Bayer plans appeal and hopes for legislative relief after $2.2 billion Roundup-glyphsate verdict
A Cobb County, Georgia, jury awarded plaintiff John Barnes $2.065 billion in compensation and damages on March 21 in ...
While raw milk increases health risk by 70,000% percent, cheese made from raw milk is safe to eat
The only real way to wipe out H5N1, the bird flu that has been ruining egg prices since last year, ...
Viewpoint: Social media’s herd mentality undermines how we view farming and food
The information superhighway has many potholes to navigate and treacherous off ramps that will result in people getting lost on ...
Ultra-processed foods lead to chronic diseases? Bread, breakfast cereals, yogurt and dairy desserts are all associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes
[G]iven the prevailing sense of certainty that ultraprocessed foods are a prime culprit in chronic disease, it may surprise you ...
Viewpoint: Anti-glyphosate hysteria pushed by RFK, Jr. and MAHA allies throws a dark cloud over modern agriculture
[L]ooming concerns such as talk of a possible glyphosate ban and tight time lines for national carbon emission goals have ...
Viewpoint: India has a huge opportunity on gene editing:—This isn’t about corporate-controlled GM crops. It’s about empowering farmers with healthier and more resilient plants.’
Imagine mangoes growing in the deserts of Rajasthan, wheat that thrives in extreme heat and provides higher nutrition, or rice ...
Combating global micronutrient deficiencies: Israeli scientists deploy gene editing to develop vitamin-rich lettuce
Israeli scientists successfully used CRISPR gene-editing technology to develop a nutrient-enhanced variety of lettuce, marking a breakthrough in efforts to ...
Viewpoint: ‘This is like banning life-saving medicines because some patients take overdoses’: Pakistan debates banning key agricultural chemicals that some say are misused
A proposed government ban on 12 widely used agrochemicals has triggered alarm across Pakistan's agriculture sector as experts warn it ...
Does eating organic foods lower your risk of cancer?
Overall, when it comes to crops that produce food like fruits and vegetables, the main difference is that organic is ...
Promoted by RFK, Jr. and food influencers bashing seed oils is in fashion. Nutrition scientists shake their heads at this mass ignorance
[‘Seed oil’] is the catchy description coined by internet influencers, wellness gurus and some politicians to refer to common cooking ...
Planting trees to slow climate change—there’s a method to it
Any tree will suck carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and turn it into plant tissue. But it adding a little ...
Turning the humble potato into a bruise-resistant and vitamin-enriched super spud—thanks CRISPR gene editing
As the world searches for more efficient and hardier crops to feed our growing population, one company has been looking ...
Viewpoint: What might be the impact of ultra-processed food labels?
After decades of lobbying, the US government has finally started taking action to warn consumers about the hazards of ultra-processed ...
Viewpoint: The health and environmental case against genetically modified crops in Kenya distorts the facts
Maize is Kenya’s staple food, yet its annual production consistently falls short of demand, hindered by degraded soils, limited access to ...
Some junk snack foods are not nearly as unhealthy as others. Here are better options of popcorn, chips, crackers, cookies and more
Because snacking tends to make up a large portion of our daily calories, the type of foods you choose to ...
Natural. Locally produced. Eco-friendly. Organic—Marketing buzzwords or meaningful descriptors?
[B]ased on a survey of 37 000 consumers in 40 countries, [r]espondents are generally most interested in natural, locally produced, ...
Lab-grown meat, dairy, sugar and other cell-based foods set to become available to UK consumers by 2027
Meat, dairy and sugar grown in a lab could be on sale in the UK for human consumption for the ...
Viewpoint: MIT computer scientist (frequently cited by RFK. Jr.) predicted that by 2025 50% of all U.S. children would be born autistic due to glyphosate exposure. She was off by only 1600%
In the annals of failed doomsday predictions, Dr. Stephanie Seneff’s claim that half of all U.S. children would be autistic ...
Viewpoint: Environmental activists, food elitists and trial lawyers profiterring on science disinformation put American farmers and U.S. agricultural policy at risk.
Food elitists contend America's farmers and ranchers have lost their way. They want to overturn the system for food production ...
Plant-based oils: Non-margarine butter substitute could lengthen your life
Substituting butter with plant-based oils daily may lower risk of premature death by up to 17 percent, according to a ...
Low carb diet danger alert: It increases the risk of colorectal cancer
Researchers from the University of Toronto in Canada recently conducted a study to explore how low carb diets can affect ...
Overreaction or ‘about time’: RFK, Jr. targets food dyes and other additives. Here’s a balanced take on their aesthetics and safety
HHS secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. told top food executives on March 10 that one of his top priorities would ...
