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.
Viewpoint: Part 2 — ‘Superstitious and medieval’ GMO beliefs inform New Zealand gene editing regulations, keeping country’s ‘predator-free’ goal out of reach
Amid fears of unintended consequences, the idea of unleashing gene tech on pests ravaging our native wildlife has unsurprisingly found ...
Biofortification of staple crops: How the mundane pearl millet grain was transformed into a ‘hunger fighting’ gladiator
Pearl millet has long made up the bulk of diets of rural communities in drought-prone regions of India and Africa ...
Viewpoint: Part 1 — ‘We’re moving away from a binary choice, GM-free or not’: New Zealand debates CRISPR gene edited crops and medicines 20 years after GMO scandal
Twenty years after the Corngate scandal when illegal GMO corn crops may have been accidentally released turned genetic modification into ...
Viewpoint: EWG’s Dirty Dozen scares parents away from buying fresh produce. Here’s why you should keep serving your kids grapes, guilt-free
Grapes, strawberries, apples, and peppers make their way into carts and baskets all over the country as parents give themselves ...
Viewpoint: Sri Lanka’s ban on synthetic crop chemicals put ideology ahead of science. Here’s a rethink on sustainable agriculture
In April 2021, the Sri Lankan president announced that the import of synthetic fertilizers was banned and no more would be procured ...
Video: Kenyan crop geneticist examines myths and truths behind country’s decision to end ban on GM seeds and foods
The Kenyan government banned the importation and growing of GMO crops and products following a 2012 study by Prof Gilles-Eric Seralini of ...
India approves first genetically-modified crops in 20 years: Herbicide-tolerant cotton and mustard
The commercial cultivation of genetically modified (GM) crops may get approval in the country after 20 years. These crops are ...
‘Globally we are no longer innovating’: Agricultural productivity is faltering — and that’s why we need to streamline regulations of new technologies
The recently released 2022 Global Agricultural Productivity (GAP) Report tells a disturbing story: Growth in global agricultural productivity is in steep ...
‘Healthy fat is not about the amount of fat’: Exercising improves the health of fat cells, helping them clean debris from your bloodstream
Many of us may not realize that body fat can be metabolically healthy — or the reverse — no matter ...
Viewpoint: Plants are ‘carbon sequestration factories’. It’s time to capitalize on their natural ability to address climate change
Could plants be created that have higher rates of photosynthesis to improve growth and yield? The short answer is yes ...
Viewpoint: ‘Chaos is coming’ — Cost of food staples like tortillas, chicken and eggs will skyrocket if Mexico follows through with its GM corn ban
If the food shortage is already high, hold on because it will get worse — because chaos is coming with ...
Will ‘biological push notifications’ from weight loss gadgets keep people on track with their diets?
I felt a special kind of awe, then panic, watching my glucose levels skyrocket for the first time after relishing ...
How CRISPR gene editing is emerging as powerful tool to counteract climate change
CRISPR technology could be deployed in a wide array of food and agriculture applications. One major issue that CRISPR could fight is ...
Blight resistant gene-edited potatoes now third genetically-enhanced crop approved in once anti-biotech Ethiopia
Ethiopia has given the green light to carry out observation field trials for genetically modified potatoes that are said to ...
Bacon-flavored algae and spirulina salmon? Here’s how aquaculture might provide enough protein to satisfy humanity’s growing appetite
A new paper published in the journal Oceanography speculates future global food production problems could be solved by growing protein-dense microalgae in ...
Benefits of increasing yields in the Amazon rainforest: Nature Sustainability study concludes ‘agricultural intensification’ could cut Brazil’s climate warming by 58%
The Amazon basin includes 550 Mha covered with rainforests, and 60% of this area is in Brazil. The conversion of rainforest ...
Viewpoint: IARC has labeled cell phones, night shifts and coffee as likely carcinogens — but we’re not doomed. Here’s why we don’t need to panic
Over the years IARC has labeled red meat, pickled foods and salted fish, carpentry, working at night, using cell phones, ...
Viewpoint: EPA’s crackdown on safe-as-used atrazine weedkiller in midst of global food crisis will send grocery store prices even higher
Last month, the Environmental Protection Agency's comment period closed on its proposal to impose new restrictions on an important product for ...
Viewpoint: ‘Organic-only policies are the new face of European colonialism’ — Here’s how crop biotechnology innovation is opening doors to Africa’s self sufficiency
Former colonies of Europe were banned from sale unless they obeyed Europe when it came to food. Yet Africa has ...
Orange-colored bananas? New variety packed with 10x the vitamin A developed in Uganda provides essential nutrients for children and pregnant women – if approved
Research has shown promising results, with the transgenic banana variety having 100 percent vitamin A content. The fortified variety has ...
Viewpoint: The failure of this not-very-credible ‘expert’ witness helps explain why glyphosate-cancer litigators are on a 5-trial losing streak
All 10 jurors in a St. Louis courtroom sided with Monsanto after a month of testimony that opened with plaintiffs brought ...
Viewpoint: Why Mexico’s ban on GM corn threatens job security and will spark outflux of immigrants
Mexico may soon join a growing list of countries that ban the importation of genetically modified (GM) corn, potentially affecting ...
Biopesticides and robotics emerge as lower-impact alternatives to synthetic pesticides
Replacement of the old generation of pesticides with a new suite of technology-based and ecological-based solutions to managing pests is ...
Kenya approves GMOs after 10-year ban
Kenya has approved genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and broken free from a decade-long ban on the technology, a move that ...
Viewpoint: Can we trust corporate ‘regenerative farming’ pledges?
People latch onto words and then casually throw them around like they know what it means. The most common — ...
Does it matter when you eat dinner? Earlier in the day — and within a 10 hour window — may help boost metabolism and fight obesity
A reason to eat earlier in the day? Participants who ate meals four hours later in the day were more ...
Podcast: The story behind the vitamin-boosting purple tomato and its benefits to animal and human health
Anthocyanins are a class of plant pigments associated with healthful qualities in food. While research continues to assess their true ...
