Genetic Literacy Project: Food & Agriculture

Prices for crops in Scotland, Germany could rise if GMOs banned -  Plans by Scotland, and possibly Germany, to ban genetically modified (GM) crops could prove a boon for farmers of conventional crops in these countries, but could also put further research at risk, analysts say. As a result of the ban, producers of non-GM crops in Scotland may see prices rise if demand remains strong and other countries switch to producing GM crops, according to Hamish Smith, a commodities economist at Capital Economics. A European Union law introduced earlier in the year gave member states the right to opt-out of EU-wide approvals of new GM crops. This would prevent the crop being grown in that country. Early in August, Scotland announced it would opt-out and Reuters reported last week that Germany would follow suit, citing a letter it viewed from the German agricultural minister. So far, the only GM crops approved by the EU include strains of maize, rapeseed, cotton and soybean that are resistant to certain herbicides and pest insects….

Left McCarthyism? Bay Area Pacifica radio station KPFA blacklists scientist because he’s not anti-GMO -  The following is an excerpt of a blog written by Daniel Chamovitz, Dean of Life Sciences at Tel Aviv University, and co-chair of the India-israel Forum on Food Security, and reproduced under the Fair Use Guidelines. It was not written for the GLP. Please go to Professor Chamovitz’s website for his complete blog.

I was boycotted because of my scientific opinions.  I was approached by the producers of a radio station in the Bay Area about interviewing me about my book WHAT A PLANT KNOWS. The producers defined their program as “a politically left, investigative, health/science show on the Pacifica station KPFA.”  Six hours before the scheduled interview I got the following email from my publicist at FSG/SA books: “So sorry about this, but she has canceled the interview (upon realizing you’re in favor of genetically modified food). I’m so sorry! Now you don’t have to go on air at midnight, at least.”

At first I found this amusing, especially as I wasn’t even supposed to talk about GMOs! It was even funny as a stereotype of Northern California. But I’ve realized that this censoring based on scientific opinion has dangerous implications.  Yes, the producers of this private radio show are not obligated to interview me or anyone else. But once having invited me about an issue completely unrelated to genetic engineering, to cancel this invitation based on other opinions, smacks of McCarthysim. Indeed as I did not discuss GMOs in my book, the producers of this show must have carried out a McCarthy-like background check to uncover my support of genetic engineering in agriculture. Read full, original post: When McCarthyism Meets Science

GMOs in US vs. EU: United States regulates usage while Europe fears risks of technology  - While the U.S. and the EU take opposing approaches in regulating GM foods, they use similar types of scientific data to reach decisions about approving products.

In the U.S., the same regulations apply to GM and conventional foods because despite the different processes used to make them, the final products are considered to be similar.
As illustrated in Figure 1, the regulation of GM foods in the U.S. is enacted by multiple agencies. Regulations are based on the GM foods and how they are used, rather than the genetic engineering technologies that produced them. Additionally, it is relatively easy for companies to receive exemptions from the regulatory processes.

Activists pressure Costco, other retailers to boycott GMO salmon -  Consumer groups are pressuring retail giant Costco to publicly promise not to sell genetically modified salmon even if it’s approved by federal regulators.  Friends of the Earth said more than 18,000 letters will be delivered to Costco Wholesale Corp. stores this week, about two months after a coalition of groups including the Center for Food Safety, Food & Water Watch, and Food Democracy Now, collected more than 300,000 signatures on petition urging Costco to refrain from selling the salmon, which they dubbed “Frankenfish.” In the absence of regulatory approval, Costco responded by saying it did not plan to sell salmon classified as a genetically modified organism (GMO). But consumer groups say the retailer has left the door open to selling it in the future if the Food and Drug Administration approves it. According to the coalition of consumer groups, more than 60 retailers including Target, Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, Safeway and Kroger have made commitments to not sell the genetically modified fish, they say threatens to harm the environment, pollute the genetics of native salmon and undermine the livelihood of fishermen.

GMOs critical tool to feed 10 billion people without destroying environment - The most recent UN projections indicate the human population will expand from roughly 7.2 billion today to 10.9 billion by 2100. Current yield growth trends are insufficient to meet growing demand. The expansion of agriculture over the past century has had a devastating impact on biodiversity. There is an acute need to intensify agricultural productivity, while decreasing the deleterious impact of agriculture on the environment. To live sustainably, we must grow more on the same amount of land using less water, energy, and chemicals. GM methods are the most critical technology for meeting these challenges. Paradoxically, although the use of GM technology is accepted in medicine, it has evoked societal controversy in the realm of food production, resulting in the proliferation of regulatory and legal constraints that threaten to cripple their use in achieving sustainable agriculture.