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.
Audio: Will FOIA request have ‘chilling effect’ on GMO science communication?
On the SGU this week we interviewed Kevin Folta, who is a biotechnology scientist at the University of Florida. Kevin ...
GMO farmers give up plow, making for healthier soil
Neatly tilled fields have long been a hallmark of American agriculture and its farmers, by and large traditionalists who often ...
Jane Goodall decries GM proponents as ‘anti-science’
Dame Jane Goodall, the renowned primate expert, has condemned ‘deluded’ politicians for pushing ‘Frankenstein Food’. The highly respected academic has ...
Best of both worlds: Farmer sees benefits in planting mix of GMO and non-GMO
For a Tolstoy farmer, the issue of whether to grow GMO crops isn’t as clear cut as it is for ...
Anti-GMO activists ‘harass’ Connecticut nature center months after Monsanto grant funds returned
A controversy that swirled last year when the Denison Pequotsepos Nature Center announced a grant from chemical giant Monsanto has ...
Science: Genetically enhanced foods are greener option
It is unfortunate that many advocates of sustainable agricultural practices and “green” thinkers have embraced ideas that lie well outside ...
Ancient wheat DNA found in Britain provides clues to history of agriculture
Some of us spend so much time thinking about not eating wheat, particularly its key protein, gluten, that it can be difficult ...
Why public consensus on GMOs is difficult
As a lover of food, I like many of you have some opinions on genetically modified organisms or GMOs in ...
Activists raise alarms over fisheries using GMO soy as feed
Much of the fish feed now used in open-net pens includes GM soy -- an ingredient that Monsanto and Cargill ...
Are emerging genetic engineering techniques sustainable?
In the past four decades technology has fundamentally altered our lives: from the way we work to how we communicate ...
British farmers abandoning less sustainable, more costly organic techniques
Even as demand for organic food remains high, the farmers producing it are falling by the wayside. UK government figures ...
Friends of the Earth report blames Big Ag of forcing GMOs in Africa
African governments must do more to control the planting of genetically modified (GM) crops that could affect smallholders, says a ...
Neonics ‘not harmful’ to bees but German court rules activist organizations can claim otherwise
A judge has ruled that the German branch of Friends of Earth (BUND) has a right to voice its concerns over ...
Want to research GMOs? Try using new search tool for scientific papers
Arguing about scientific topics is always a fraught endeavor. Part of the problem—whether you're discussing GMOs, the measles vaccine, or ...
Genetics tapped to increase chicken size as American tastes and waists expand
Chicken is the most commonly eaten animal in this country, surpassing beef or pork. And with dietary recommendations that Americans eat ...
Organic and biotech leaders clash at summit meant to promote cooperation
Can genetically modified crops grow in harmony with their non-GMO counterparts? The debate between the pro-biotech and non-GMO camps increasingly ...
Vandana Shiva trashes GMOs—Florida’s best hope for orange tree disease
I get rather irritated when I listen to Vandana Shiva, mostly because her ideas are rooted in a place of ...
Leading entomologist Marla Spivak: ‘We can have both pesticides and pollinators’
Marla Spivak, who holds a McKnight professorship in entomology at the University of Minnesota and directs the Bee Lab there, ...
Ban on Bt brinjal (eggplant) in India unjustified
Five years ago, on 10 February, India’s then minister of environment Jairam Ramesh announced a so-called temporary moratorium on the ...
Substitutions like Non-GMO can be inferior or harmful
Many supposedly health-conscious consumers who choose products with labels like “BPA-Free” or “non-GMO” may be getting less than they bargained ...
Pro-GMO campaign tours to bring golden rice to Asia
A campaign is set to be launched on March 16 in the country to allow golden rice for tackling Vitamin ...
Insect-resistant maize likely second GM crop in Europe
EU politicians signed a new law on growing genetically modified (GM) crops in the European Union, clearing the way for ...
Consumers willing to pay more for GM potatoes with food safety benefits
New research from an Iowa State Univ. economist found consumers were willing to spend more for genetically modified potato products ...
Judge considers delaying GM lawsuit in Hawaii
A federal judge said she would consider delaying proceedings for a lawsuit challenging Maui's ban on the cultivation of genetically ...
GM labeling bills on docket in Massachusetts, Rhode Island
New England could once again be a hotbed of action for GMO labeling during this legislative session, with hopes particularly ...
Combination of stresses contributes to bee deaths
In a recent review paper for Science, a team of researchers argue that the combination of modern stresses facing bees ...
Non-GMO hybrid yeast leads to greater beer diversity and faster brewing time
Last month, a Finnish group reported on their efforts to improve beer by altering the nature of the yeast. They ...
