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 technology could change the way we eat
A precise gene-editing technology can make crops tastier, more nutritious, and more resilient to climate change. But can it avoid ...
Gourmet dinner crafted from edible insects? Despite the ‘eew factor,’ taste profiles are promising
Edible insects, like ants, are considered a delicacy in many cultures, as well as being very nutritious and an environmentally ...
Viewpoint: Forget environmental and organic mumbo-jumbo — Here’s what you really get at farmer’s markets
There is populist rhetoric about Buy Local but what few in the public realize is that the definition is subjective ...
Here is why CRISPR is a more helpful tool than transgenic GMOs and organic farming to sustainably transform crops and food
Despite scientific consensus on the safety of genetically modified organisms, or GMOs, they have faced significant regulatory hurdles and public ...
Viewpoint: Zambia’s drought crisis suggests critical need to reassess misplaced two-decade-old decision to ban genetically modified maize
In 2002, Zambia made headlines when President Levy Mwanawasa declared a ban on the importation and distribution of genetically modified ...
Climate-adaptive alternative proteins could replace up to two-thirds of animal proteins by 2050 and dramatically reduce need for agricultural land
In the least optimistic scenario, alternative proteins could displace a sixth of meat and dairy consumption in Europe. In the ...
Bayer partners with gene-edited food start-up Pairwise to bring nutritionally-enhanced, less bitter mustard greens to a wider market
Last year, startup Pairwise started selling the first food in the US made with Crispr technology: a new type of mustard ...
Yuck factor: Insect protein foods would yield enormous climate change benefits — but acceptance remains a slow slog
The emergence of insects as a form of alternative protein in many ways provides the best of both worlds. While ...
China develops gene-edited rice variety that could resist debilitating crop disease
Scientists have made an exciting breakthrough that resulted in mutant rice with enhanced immunity against a devastating disease ...
90% of wild fisheries are dangerously depleted. Plant-based and cultivated seafood products may offer an alternative without the need for destructive practices
Up to 2.7 trillion wild-caught fish are believed to be slaughtered globally each year, resulting in approximately 90 per cent ...
Methane-releasing cow ‘burps’ are a major global contributor to climate instability. Could a vaccine fix that?
The methane emitted by the world’s billion-plus belching cattle has roughly the same impact on the climate as all the ...
‘Gene editing is a more elegant way of tackling crop disease than spraying more pesticides’: CRISPR revolution opens door to ‘disaster-proof’ crops
Traditional crop breeding can be time-consuming and laborious. Brad Ringeisen, the executive director of the Innovative Genomics Institute (IGI) at ...
Here’s why Europe’s only GMO crop approved for cultivation is gradually being abandoned
For more than two decades, the European Union has maintained regulations in the sector focused on ensuring that GMOs that ...
AI advantage: Why embracing precision gene editing will help India grow food in a climate change challenged world
Climate change is bound to affect our food systems. The impact of rising CO2 levels may impact crop yields in ...
‘New opportunities to democratize gene-edited crops and promote global sustainability’: Nature Biotechnology editors outline how small companies drive agricultural innovation
CRISPR technologies offer new opportunities to democratize gene-edited crops and promote global sustainability ...
China approves gene edited wheat, in major move to embrace biotechnology solutions for food security
“China has approved the safety of gene-edited wheat for the first time as Beijing cautiously moves forward with commercial growing ...
Bayer tackles vitamin D deficiency with gene-edited tomatoes, enhanced lettuce greens
Stressing its belief in the power of cutting-edge technology to address pervasive nutrition problems, the agribusiness giant Bayer has revealed ...
Viewpoint: History of the transgenic Rainbow papaya shows that ‘sometimes it is unethical to ignore or discard GM technologies’
In 1998, the papaya industry in Hawaii was on the verge of collapse due to an uncontrollable virus. In just ...
Viewpoint: For nearly 3 decades, New Zealand has neglected GMO technology. Here’s why that needs to change
For nearly three decades now, New Zealand has neglected the development of GMO policy and technology. This is neither in ...
Viewpoint: Will China’s desire to boost food production with biotechnology clash with public wariness of ‘Western’ GM technology?
Asia Society Policy Institute has published a paper entitled China’s Genetically Modified Dilemma. This piece, authored by ASPI Australia Research Associate Genevieve ...
Viewpoint: GMO benefits are clear — Pest-resistant Bt cotton cuts pesticide use by 97% in Australia
GMOs began their chain of success with human insulin, then saved the papaya from extinction in Hawaii, and have since ...
‘She is the closest to perfection that we’ve attained so far’: Here’s why this $4 million cow may change the future of Brazil’s beef industry
Brazil has hundreds of millions of cows, but one in particular is extraordinary. Her massive, snow-white body is watched over ...
South Africa has grown genetically modified corn for 27 years. Here’s what Kenya and the rest of Africa can learn from their experience
South Africa was one of the last countries to gain independence, but it has some valuable insights into food security ...
Seedless, thorn free blackberries? With the help of CRISPR, startup Pairwise aims to get fruit on store shelves within a few years
As demand for berries sees significant growth, a three-year-old startup aims to change the DNA of these plants to make them ...
Viewpoint: Philippines’ vitamin A enhanced Golden Rice rejection is not just a ‘terrible, tragic, missed opportunity’ for the country’s children — it may deter other countries like Bangladesh and India
Imagine there was a superfood that could potentially save more than one million lives every year, as well as stopping ...
Let them eat… mold? CRISPR gene-edited mushroom derivative used to ferment soy sauce can enhance nutrition and flavor of meat-free proteins
Scientists have discovered how to make meat alternatives with fungi... The fungus tested is called koji mold and has a long ...
It’s official: FDA is going to regulate genetically engineered animals. Here’s what you need to know
The FDA announced in May 2024 that the agency will lead the charge on regulation of animals with intentional genomic alterations ...
