Opinion
There have been dramatic changes in the transgenic composition of GE corn and soybeans over the last five years, coupled with a substantial increase in reliance on pesticides and Bt toxins. Compared to the first five years of commercial use (1996-2000), today’s GE corn and soybeans in the U.S. require: About twice as much herbicide… Continue Reading
Following state-level initiatives on the West Coast, Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and Representative Peter DeFazio (D-OR) on Wednesday introduced legislation that would require the U.S. Food and Drug Administration “clearly label” all genetically engineered (GE) foods, including foods that are made from GE grains and GE salmon, if it is approved by the agency. The… Continue Reading
Opinion
Our founding fathers, white maleness aside, did get a few things right. One of them was the concept of “separation of powers,” which ensures a system of checks and balances among the three branches of government: executive, legislative, and judicial. But a dangerous provision snuck into the budget bill passed last week in Congress upends… Continue Reading
Opinion
I have known of Mike Taylor since shortly after September 29, 1994. As Food Safety News reported in “Looking Back: The Story Behind Banning E. Coli O157:H7,” Taylor took the podium that day in San Francisco at the American Meat Institute’s annual convention to make his first, and arguably most significant, speech as the top… Continue Reading
A collection of supermarket chains pledged on Wednesday not to sell a breed of salmon slated to become the first genetically engineered (GE) animal to reach store shelves. The companies, including Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s and Aldi, together comprise more than 2,000 retail store locations – a little more than 5 percent of the total… Continue Reading
Grocery giant Whole Foods Market will require all foods that contain genetically modified organisms (GMOs) sold in its U.S. and Canadian stores to be labeled as such by 2018. This puts the company in the position of being the first grocery chain in the United States to set a deadline for GMO labeling. “We are putting… Continue Reading
Today, the Supreme Court will hear a patent case that’s been billed as the one to determine who owns the rights to seeds in the ground: the farmer who planted them on his land, or the company that invested resources in designing and selling them. Bowman v. Monsanto centers on the conflict between 75-year-old Vernon… Continue Reading
Opinion
Recent reports of secret meetings among industry reps and the Food and Drug Adminstration over GMO labeling piqued my interest, mostly because this critical aspect was missing: any effort to label GE foods at the federal level could bring the current grassroots movement to a grinding halt by preventing any stronger local laws from ever… Continue Reading
Opinion
State legislatures are now in session in almost all 50 states. While last November’s elections did not result in much change, there do appear to be some different approaches in the state houses in the realm of food safety. First, you may have read something about how well the Democrats did in the 2012 elections,… Continue Reading
Opinion
As recently as last Fall, a now discredited French study threw a little scare mongering into California’s Proposition 37 campaign by depicting tumor growth in rats fed genetically modified (GM) corn. In as long as GM crops have stirred controversy, food safety has been among the issues coming in for attention. But now one of… Continue Reading
Opinion
On November 6, 2012, Californians voted on Proposition 37, which would have required that foods produced from genetically engineered crops be labeled as such. Support for Prop. 37 was high two months before the election, but it plummeted in the final month to a near tie. It was defeated 53 to 47 percent, and this… Continue Reading