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.
Global farmers criticize Hakim’s NY Times GMO article, list crop biotech sustainability benefits
I don’t tell reporters at the New York Times how to write their articles. Maybe they should consider not telling ...
Hawaii counties cannot impose local safety bans on GMOs and pesticides, federal court rules
Monsanto, Syngenta and other seed companies that farm in Hawaii won a significant victory after a federal appeals court ruled ...
New Zealand would benefit from GMO-organic co-existence
AgResearch scientists have developed a genetically modified (GM) ryegrass that has a 40 per cent increase in production and a ...
What are the benefits and concerns about GMOs?
As the population increases, there is an ever-greater need for increases in crop yields on the same amount of land ...
India poised to greenlight GM mustard, but skeptics could still derail it
It can increase yield by a third, and put up to Rs 500 crore ($150 million) in farmers’ pockets. However, ...
3-D printed biotechnology tool can grow herbs, berries and plants
Scientists see the CellPod incubator as a new way for consumers to produce their own food at home. To grow ...
Food Evolution movie tackles controversial history of GMOs
Many people believe that genetically modified food (GMOs) can cause a host of diseases and disorders such as alzheimer’s, autism, ...
US grain groups call for update of ‘incoherent’ international Coordinated Framework biotech regulations
A proposed update of the Coordinated Framework for the Regulation of Biotechnology falls far short of changes needed with regard ...
Mars candy to publish genetic maps to improve nutrition from traditional African crops
A multi-million dollar research group co-founded by the confectionery company Mars is set to publish the genetic maps to five traditional ...
British oilseed rape farmers face beetle infestation after government rejects neonics emergency request
In light of the rejection of their emergency use application last spring to use neonicotinoid seed dressings on autumn oilseed ...
If nutrition is focus, GMO and organic foods can both deliver results
Passionate views on GMO, conventional and organic farming dominate food-related news and social media. But I rarely see nutrition mentioned, ...
Could gene editing create safer, pesticide free marijuana?
There is a growing demand for organic cannabis, but is there an alternative? Can modern techniques in gene editing, such as ...
Bacteria could transform trees into industrial chemical scrubbers
Hacking trees by adding bacteria to their roots could help scrub contaminated soil clean of chemicals and metals from industrial ...
EPA approves field trials of disease-resistant GMO citrus trees
The Environmental Protection Agency announced ... that it has given major Florida citrus grower Southern Gardens approval for large-scale field testing ...
Changing minds on GMOs, global warming: More information may not be enough
Because there is often a gap between science and public opinion, there is a need to better understand what factors ...
Anti-GMO activist-funded lab tests find micro-traces of glyphosate in popular foods
The herbicide residues were found in cookies, crackers, popular cold cereals and chips commonly consumed by children and adults, according ...
Indian anti-GMO philosopher Vandana Shiva doesn’t speak for India’s farmers
[Editor's note: Vandana Shiva, a controversial full-time anti-GMO activist, speaks at Drake University on November 16. Many critics say her claims ...
Chile’s GMO schizophrenia: It exports seeds and imports crops, but doesn’t allow cultivation
Chile has a surprising export crop: seeds. It is currently the fifth largest seed producer worldwide, and the first in the production of genetically ...
How weeds can help with weed control
Farmers looking to reduce reliance on pesticides, herbicides and other pest management tools may want to heed the advice of ...
Will Trump reduce regulation on GMOs?
Donald Trump’s presidency has the potential of being the greatest threat the organic industry has faced since the invention of ...
Millennials’ demand for organics ripples through supply chain
Co-packers should be concerned, along with distributors, farmers and even, heck, grain elevator operators. Their worlds are incrementally turning upside ...
Chinese crackdown on illegally grown GMO crops still leaves public queasy
China has spent billions on research of biotech crops, but it has not yet approved the planting of any GM ...
Lawsuit targets Topco over micro-traces of glyphosate in ‘natural’ granola
Plaintiff Jason Scholder is taking on defendants Topco Holdings Inc. and Topco Associates LLC, the makers of Granola Oats, Honey ...
Nigeria’s top biotech regulator says nation needs GMOs for ‘socioeconomic survival’
The Director General of the National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA), Dr. Rufus Ebegba has declared that Nigeria’s Biosafety regulation of ...
Should organic agriculture consider allowing gene-edited crops?
Proponents of agricultural biotechnology are calling for a reconsideration of the organic opposition to GMOs in light of [New Plant ...
Boulder farmers criticize ‘rushed, incomplete’ plan to phase out GMO crops
[In March, Boulder County, CO Comissioners decided to ban cultivation of GMO crops on county-owned farmland. The following is an excerpt from ...
Food companies may go ‘non-GMO’ for marketing reasons
[Editor's Note: The author of this excerpt, Shiloh Perry, is a communications assistant for the American Farm Bureau] Companies often make ...
