Food & Agriculture Features
The GLP explores the role of genetic engineering in food production and the polarized debate surrounding it. We highlight the work of our own writers, as well as that of contributors from around the Web. The GLP does not take a position on genetics-related issues; any opinions expressed belong to the authors.
Categories include:
- Chemicals and pesticides
- Organics
- Conventional crops
- New breeding technologies
- Animal biotechnology
- Food systems
- Sustainability
- Regulations
- Politics
- Ideology
Science moms to celebrity moms: Let’s discuss GMOs, farming, safety and health together
The anti-GMO movement moved away long ago from grounded positions in science to promoting fear, and using celebrities as their ...
Kevin Folta’s Florida colleague reflects on conflicts in biotech communication outreach
A fellow professor of Dr. Kevin Folta at the University of Florida analyzes the controversy over genetic literacy outreach and ...
Seed bank advantages lost in fog of anti-GMO war
While anti GMO activists push for organics, a complimentary answer to feeding the world may lie in seed banks. Only ...
Kevin Folta responds to anti-GMO FOIA fiasco: PLoS bungled post misrepresents smoking gun email
Paul Thacker and Charles Seife--aligned with anti-GMO organic financed USRTK--claimed that a leaked document 'proved' Florida prof 'advised' Monsanto on ...
Activists threaten adoption of virus resistant GMO cassava that could rescue Africa’s staple
Anti-GMO activists caught spreading scare stories and lies about virus resistant and nutritionally enhanced GMO cassava ...
GMO-vaccine parallel? Biotech supporters learn from campaign that turned tide on anti-vaxxers
Supporters of GMOs aren't facing headwinds in swaying the public, but pro-science success in beating back anti-vax ideologues may provide ...
Pollinator myth: Are bees responsible for one third of global food, heightening crisis? More like 7%
Aren’t bees responsible for a third of the world’s food, and 90 percent of global nutrition — claims invoked by ...
Nutritionist Michelle McGuire responds to attacks in wake of ‘glyphosate not in milk’ study
Washington State lactation scientist target of USTRK FOIA and anti-GMO activist attacks after finding glyphosate not in human breast milk ...
Kevin Folta discusses “ties” to GMO industry, challenges of biotech literacy communication
Independent agricultural scientist Kevin Folta responded to questions raised about his relationship to the biotechnology industry, as the first wave ...
3 ways GMO rice could improve world but tech hurdles and anti-GMO protests block way
New GMO varieties of rice could improve nutrition, cut potentially dangerous arsenic levels and help combat climate change, but activist ...
Will Hollywood anti-GMO/pro-labeling activists Lena Dunham and Gwyneth Paltrow consider science?
Human geneticist who now opposes mandatory GMO labeling appeals to actresses to engage independent university scientists and not just ideologues ...
Why former organic farmer, food inspector turned against Big Organic to embrace GMOs
Nothing cuts deeper than feeling betrayed. That's the story of a former organic farmer who now believes the industry who ...
Ayyadurai’s formaldehyde-in-GMOs claim challenged, engineer refuses verification offer
Engineer and system biologist V.A. Shiva Ayyadurai claim that there are dangerous levels of formaldehyde in GMO crops is about ...
As disease threatens Uganda’s banana crop, ActionAid and anti-GMO groups fan fears
Uganda is an emerging battle ground where anti-GMO activists try to scuttle introduction of a transgenic banana that could rescue ...
Hero of Neil Young’s anti-GMO doc ‘Seeding Fear’ is confessed thief
Neil Young has followed up his anti-GMO attack album with a new propaganda mini-doc about the evils of Monsanto. Now ...
Why regulators conclude glyphosate safe while IARC, alone, claims it could cause cancer?
Glyphosate joins apples, coffee, sunning and night shift work as an IARC "probable" carcinogen. But the real risk to humans ...
Fraud or drift? USDA finds 43 percent of organic foods contain ‘prohibited’ substances
Pesticides have been found in nearly half of organic fields. Is this a case of accidental drift, or fraud? ...
How to scare people into supporting bad policy on bees and other pollinators
If you are a scientist with an agenda, nothing works better than cooking up a "modeling" study: junk in, junk ...
The fall of Gary Hirshberg: From reformer to reactionary anti-science propagandist?
Gary Hirshberg is in the midst of rewriting his legacy from admired 'social responsibility' leader to crank apologist for disinformation ...
Beemageddon? As hysteria over honey bees recedes, anti-neonic narrative refocuses on wild bees
It was a crisis that never was. It's now clear that the honey bee crisis never was—the pollinator is doing ...
With Will Saletan’s Slate takedown of anti-GMOers, liberal debate about GMO benefits now over
Slate's subtitle says it all: "The war against genetically modified organisms is full of fearmongering, errors, and fraud. Labeling them ...
Farm to boardroom: US organic industry dominated by mega corporations
According to the anti-GMO narrative, organic is frail David fighting for its life against the Goliaths of Big Ag and ...
Farmers abandoning organic farming despite lure of higher price premiums
Organic food sales are booming and some studies claim it's more profitable for farmers because of cprice premiums. But costs ...
Why Whole Foods and Chipotle’s anti-GMO campaigning has lost my business
I’ve become an accidental activist on behalf of GMOs, in part because of misleading fear based marketing campaigns by food ...
American attitudes toward GMO foods divides by education and gender, not politics nor religion
A new Pew survey found that acceptance of use of GMOs crops and pesticides depended far more on education and ...
UK GM wheat trial highlights costs of violent activism
The failure of GM wheat developed by UK researchers to repel pests not only highlighted the scientific process, but also ...
Can a skeptical public be persuaded to embrace GMO foods? Yes, if we want sustainable agriculture
When it comes to the basics of life such as food and energy, eco-romanticism abounds. It has become a mark ...
