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.
Better face for GMOs: Drought resistance and resistance to ‘superpest’
Much of the current criticism of GMOs rests on the currently-available varieties, dominated by RoundUp Ready (herbicide-resistant) and Bt (pesticide-producing) ...
UK Independent editorial: Britain can’t afford to miss out on GMO benefits
Two decades ago, when the very real scare over “mad cow” disease undermined people’s trust in the safety of the ...
Monsanto chief: We did not grasp depth of consumer concerns over first GMOs
The American company that produced the world’s first genetically modified crop has admitted for the first time that its “hubris” ...
Sustainability proponents talk GMOs, health, superweeds and patents
As the legal frenzy makes clear, genetic engineering elicits extreme reactions. It’s decried as humanity’s final untethering from the natural ...
Organic-funded anti-GMO group calls for investigation of whether USDA covered up dangers
A "watchdog" organization is calling on the U.S. Senate and House agriculture committees and the inspector general at the USDA ...
Which path will Congress follow: Mandatory or voluntary GMO labeling?
The fight over the labeling of genetically engineered food is heating up on Capitol Hill, as safety advocates mount a ...
Geneticist Pamela Ronald: GMOs pave way for sustainable food
When it comes to the earth’s dwindling resources, climbing temperatures and burgeoning population, talk is as plentiful as it is ...
International gene bank holds key to new bean variety for warmer climate
As the planet warms, time is running out to develop new cultivars that can cope with the heat. Luckily, scientists ...
Common denominator in GMO corn and ‘natural’ quinoa: Both produce pesticides
I feel that one of the most highly misunderstood things about genetically modified organisms (GMOs) is the insect-resistant trait that ...
British researchers wait until after June elections to begin trial on GMO ‘super spud’
British scientists are developing a genetically modified “super spud” free of fungal diseases and other pest problems, as well as ...
Russian activists upset government allows GMO food sales despite cultivation ban
Three activists carrying a refrigerator to set up on the street to attract attention to problems faced by the country's ...
Deep dive analysis of glyphosate exposure-cancer link research
A little over a week ago, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) announced that glyphosate would be added ...
Washington Post editorial: Mandatory GMO labeling is unnecessary
Eighty-eight percent of scientists polled by the Pew Research Center in January said genetically modified food is generally safe to eat ...
Success of independently funded GMO papaya confounds anti-tech ideologues
Hawaii’s Big Island has banned or severely limited the farming of genetically engineered (GE or GM) crops, including a papaya ...
First-of-its-kind genetic map created for wheat
An international team of scientists led by Eduard Akhunov, Ph.D., of Kansas State University has created the first haplotype map ...
He said/She said on GMOs: Mark Lynas v Claire Robinson
This week The Independent has been investigating the future of genetically modified food – nearly 20 years since the first ...
Australian GM farmer fighting ‘contamination’ appeal says he received no financial backing from Monsanto
A landmark GM contamination now unfolding in the supreme court of Western Australia has for now swung in favour of an organic ...
Globally recognized epidemiologist pans WHO for misinterpreting his glyphosate study
A Canadian toxicologist says the World Health Organization made a critical scientific error in its decision to classify glyphosate as ...
Why most polls on GM labeling are meaningless
MSNBC posted a poll recently to determine whether or not people think GMOs should be labeled. The way the poll ...
Scientists say IARC fumbled glyphosate carcinogenic determination
Glyphosate, a widely used herbicide, joined the World Health Organisation (WHO)’s list of things that “probably” cause cancer on Friday, March 20th ...
House Republicans propose voluntary non-GMO food label
Inspired by the popular “USDA organic” label, House Republicans are proposing a new government certification for foods free of genetically ...
Glyphosate takes another hit: Herbicides may lead to antibiotic resistance
This has not been a good week for glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup and other herbicides. On Friday, the ...
Social scientists skeptical about benefits of vitamin A enriched GM banana
Students and faculty discussed the ethics and effectiveness of genetically modified banana research being conducted at Iowa State University. Clark ...
IARC scientist defends his finding that glyphosate is likely carcinogenic
A World Health Organization group's controversial finding that the world's most popular herbicide "probably is carcinogenic to humans" was based ...
IARC got it wrong: Link between glyphosate and cancer ‘nonexistent’
The IARC, one of the intergovernmental agencies within the World Health Organization, is widely respected for their research into the causes ...
Kevin Folta interview: ‘Yes, I’m a shill—not for Big Ag but for Science’
Co-hosts of The League of Nerds Myles Power and James Gurney interview Kevin Folta, professor at the University of Florida, ...
Boom and bust of ‘green crude’ leads to new venture: synbio oil and more
The idea behind Sapphire Energy was radical: Use synthetic biology, a promising new technology that lets scientists reengineer the genetics of ...
