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.
How CRISPR gene editing could unlock resistance to destructive citrus greening disease
Researchers at the University of California, Riverside have made an important step in understanding the molecular mechanism of huanglongbing (HLB), ...
Viewpoint: David Suzuki’s views on GMOs ‘well outside the scientific mainstream’
Mr. Suzuki is known by most as a twinkly-eyed old sage with a harmless message about living in tune with ...
What’s behind public’s fear of glyphosate?
As cases in federal court and several state courts delve into whether there is evidence that glyphosate causes cancer, a ...
Developing countries slowly embrace GMO crops to fight food insecurity, climate change
Developing countries are slowly increasing approved legislation and opening the door to research and commercialization of GMO crops. As these countries ...
Viewpoint: Brazil GMO label shows need to balance transparency and science
Since 2003, Brazilian law has required all consumer products containing genetically modified material to carry a scary-looking label that depicts ...
How does the science of Rachel Carson’s ‘Silent Spring’ stand up more than 50 years later?
Carson’s detractors accuse her of misrepresenting the science. Wrong: Carson wrote that pesticides and herbicides disorder ecosystems because they kill ...
Geneticist Alison Van Eenennaam: ‘I’m not going to let the fearmongers dominate the conversation’ on CRISPR gene-edited food
Animal geneticist Alison Van Eenennaam has six calves that are rather unusual. Most people might not pick up on what’s ...
Scientists worry EU’s neonicotinoid ban could lead to increase in spraying of other insecticides
Dr Bill Parker, Director of Research, Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB), said: “While this decision is not unexpected given ...
Viewpoint: Amazon should abandon Whole Foods’ fear-based non-GMO marketing
Amazon’s recent acquisition of Whole Foods has brought immediate changes to the Texas-based grocery chain, such as lower prices and ...
Insect-resistant GMO corn could help fend off fall armyworm invasion in Ghana, scientists say
Mr Eric Amaning Okoree, Chief Executive Officer, National Biosafety Authority (NBA) says genetically modified (GM) crops have a high potential ...
FDA approves first genetically engineered salmon farm in US
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on [April 26] announced its approval of the first U.S. facility for production of genetically ...
EU health commissioner: Neonicotinoid, glyphosate decisions show European regulations consistent, science-based
No one can blame the European Commission of being in the hands of industry lobbies, as in both the glyphosate ...
Pakistan tightens regulations on rice amid GMO concerns
Pakistan has tightened grip on international rice trade with a view to getting rid of any impression of involving in ...
Organic foods have less pesticide residue—but that doesn’t necessarily mean they’re healthier
The available evidence supports consumers’ belief that organic food production and consumption result in lower pesticide exposure, are more environmentally ...
UK National Farmers Union: Neonicotinoid ban could compromise crop protection
The NFU has called the decision to ban the use of neonicotinoids to all outdoor crops as a "regrettable decision ...
1 in 3 people in England incorrectly believe GMO food causes cancer
In a survey of 1,330 people in England, published in the European Journal of Cancer, most people correctly said smoking was ...
Viewpoint: California’s coffee cancer label isn’t backed by evidence—and could do more harm than good
About two-thirds of smokers will die early from cigarette-based illnesses. Cigarettes are also very addictive. Because of this, it seems reasonable to place warnings ...
EU approves total ban on neonicotinoid insecticides due to bee health concerns
The European Union will ban the world’s most widely used insecticides from all fields due to the serious danger they ...
New Zealand’s Environment Court says local governments must take ‘precautionary approach’ to GMO adoption
Opponents of the use of genetic engineering are hailing a recent [New Zealand] Environment Court decision as "a victory for common ...
Why do farmers use GMOs and pesticides?
Chemicals changed the course of agriculture. They became available. Then they became affordable. And then they started to keep their ...
Can ‘gene drives’ for crop pests work in the real world?
The spotted wing fruit fly is one of the world’s major crop destroyers. Scientifically known as Drosophila suzukii, this peppercorn-size insect ...
Viewpoint: Mandatory GMO labeling counterproductive and based on pseudoscience
More and more, scientific literacy is a critical virtue we should demand of our politicians. Yet questions about important scientific ...
Monsanto launches product that deactivates dicamba herbicide in spraying equipment
Monsanto Co is launching the first product that deactivates a controversial weed killer inside spraying equipment after it is used, ...
‘Gene Revolution’: How genetic engineering is making food and medicine cheaper, better and more plentiful
Mankind has been improving plants and animals for millennia. Simply by selecting and breeding those they liked best, our ancestors ...
Viewpoint: Pesticide soaked strawberries? Why you shouldn’t pay attention to Environmental Working Group’s ‘fear-mongering’
It’s springtime which means it is time for the Environmental Working Group (EWG) to send the media into a frenzy ...
Climate change ready crops? Gene editing and other genomic advances show promise
Development of climate resilient crops with accelerating genetic gains in crops will require integration of different disciplines/technologies, to see the ...
Battling cancer-causing aflatoxin contamination in Africa with genetic engineering, other technologies
We in the rich societies of the world don’t hear a lot about aflatoxin. It is probably one of the single ...
