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.
French may be GMO averse, but its scientists still innovating in biotech
While Silicon Valley cooks up eggless mayonnaise and salt without sodium, French entrepreneurs are doing away with supermarkets. Despite traditionally ...
Bacon substitute made from seaweed next superfood?
The world's most perfect food may have just arrived. Researchers from Oregon State University’s Hatfield Marine Science Center say they’ve ...
Kenyan farmers urge government to allow GMOs
Farmers in Kilifi county want the government to allow them access genetically modified (GM) planting materials to boost agricultural production ...
Myth busting: European scientists overwhelmingly endorse GMOs, and EU imports dozens of GM crops
A popular theme among anti-GMO activists is to make the claim that Europe has banned GMOs, as if to imply European ...
Saletan’s Slate on target expose of GMO fear mongering overstates corporate influence
The title of William Saletan’s July 15 j’accuse in Slate, “Unhealthy Fixation” is spot on, but the subtitle really nails ...
Vitamin A prevents night blindness, yes, but does Golden Rice?
Journalist Will Saletan set the Internet afire yesterday with his long-form piece against anti-GMO activists. A key component of his argument is ...
Organic farming contributes to more greenhouse gas emissions, not less
Here’s some hard, responsibly farmed news to swallow: Big Organic isn’t really doing much to reduce carbon emissions. In fact, commercialized ...
Video: Why we love eating ‘killer’ pesticides in our food
In this PBS video as part of the "It’s Okay to Be Smart" series, Joe Hanson explains that the most ...
GM moths could offer non-toxic pest control option for vegetables
A genetically modified moth could help curb a major pest of vegetable crops around the world, research suggests. The diamondback ...
Scientists have created a luscious tasting non GMO tomato, but supermarkets won’t sell it
Tomato lovers, rejoice, for science has achieved the impossible: the perfect supermarket tomato. The Garden Gem won’t bruise during shipping, ...
Shift in GMO debate spurred by Pew scientists poll illuminating pro-GMO consensus
Topic: Has the GMO chatter really turned a corner? And why? So this discussion began the night of Wednesday, July 15 ...
Slate: Anti-GMO activists say the darnedest things
When activist organizations issue over-the-top press releases or make non-scientific claims, I just shake my head, but unless I’m writing at ...
EU lawmakers oppose plan of individual countries to enact GMO import bans
A draft EU law that would enable any member state to restrict or prohibit the use of EU-approved GMO food ...
Ancient plant breeders made corn kernels edible with only minor selections
If not for a single genetic mutation, each kernel on a juicy corn cob would be trapped inside a inedible ...
Taleb challenged: Investment bankers aren’t qualified to assess GMO risk
Here’s a hot investment tip: buy shares in Blockbuster. As many as you can afford. Put in all of Johnny’s and ...
Mark Bittman’s ‘urban farming’ can’t address hunger of poor but GMO but industrial agriculture can
Should the poor look to weeds from cracks in the sidewalk as a source of nutritious, organic free food? New ...
Agave genes could hold key to drought-resistant crops
Agave may be most associated with tequila, but this plant has a less familiar use — it's teaching scientists about ...
New Zealand anti-GMO activists’ rejection of gene editing could have dire economic consequnces
New Zealand urgently needs to have an informed discussion on new science technologies — and genetically modified organisms (GMO) and ...
Norwegian biosafety report claims scientific concensus on GMOs premature
A new study commissioned by the Norwegian government, and conducted by a nationally recognised scientific authority on the safety of ...
Point-counterpoint: Organic vs. conventional farming—which is best?
Some think organic one day could replace conventional agriculture. But do the technological limits that define organic farming—no synthetic fertilizers, ...
GMO tweak needed to rescue popular Cavendish bananas
In case you hadn’t heard the news, bananas as we know them are swiftly dying. As it turns out, those ...
Proposed bill says cows fed GMO grain produce GMO milk
A GMO regulation bill set for approval in a House committee Wednesday has been changed to ensure that milk could ...
Lawmakers propose USDA begin GMO certification
The sponsors of a House bill to prevent states from requiring special labels on GMO foods are considering a new ...
Andrew Kimbrell vs Nina Fedoroff: Should GMO foods be labeled?
One of the biggest arguments in the food world these days involves products that have been genetically modified. Consumer advocates ...
Nigerian GM cowpea trial promising but politics blocks approval
There’s a confined field trial taking place in rural Nigeria. The crop being tested is genetically modified (GM) insect-resistant cowpea, ...
As dengue fever victims in Brazil tops 16 million, GM mosquito trial offers hope
Dengue fever is so excruciating that it is often called the “bone breaker,” causing severe pain in the joints and ...
Black Swan author Nassim Taleb claims GMOs could lead to eco-disaster
Before the crisis that started in 2007, both of us believed that the financial system was fragile and unsustainable, contrary ...
