News

2013-03-18 |

Biotechnology Report: 1000 hectares of genetically modified maize grows in Egypt

Although the Egyptian Agriculture Ministry made public its decision to destroy a 40-ton shipment of Monsanto’s insect-resistant MON810 maize after it entered the country in January last year, the ISAAA reports that 1,000 hectares of the crop were actually planted. Monsanto is a US-based multinational agricultural biotechnology corporation. Osama El-Tayeb is a microbiology and immunology professor at the 6th of October University Faculty of Pharmacy and an adviser on biosafety issues. He says the shipment was imported without the formal approval of the Ministry of Environment, the ministry in charge of approving genetically-modified organisms’ import into the country.

2013-03-13 |

UK set for GM food push in Europe

Britain is preparing to champion genetically modified crops in Europe in an attempt to overturn entrenched resistance among many EU members, including Austria and France. Owen Paterson, the environment secretary, is drawing up plans for a key speech backing GM with the firm backing of George Osborne, the chancellor. Meanwhile, ministers from several departments are preparing to launch a new agri-tech strategy this spring that will make a strong case for the science.

2013-03-12 |

U.S. ice cream manufacturer Ben & Jerry’s switching to non-GMO ingredients

Ice cream manufacturer Ben & Jerry’s has committed to switching to all non-GMO ingredients in its ice cream products by the end of this year. [...] “We’ve had historical support for a consumer’s right to know,” Michalak says. “With GMO labeling legislation being considered in many states, our home state of Vermont included, we thought this was a time to speak out.” Ben & Jerry’s has long been known for its support of environmental issues, sustainability, and social justice since its founding in 1978 by counter culture heroes Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield.

2013-03-12 |

Anti-GMO grass-roots effort gains ground in U.S.

Anti-GMO food activists in the U.S. don’t stage late-night guerrilla raids, vandalizing farms swathed in hazmat gear. Instead, they’re more likely to patrol the corridors of power in sport jackets, lobbying lawmakers for oversight or suing biotechs in court. But even without these tactics, American activists, including a handful of scientists, have been raising skepticism about GMO foods. “The science just hasn’t been done,” says Charles Benbrook, an agricultural policy expert at Washington State University and a leading voice of dissent. Today, about 90 percent of the corn, soy, and cotton grown in the U.S. are genetically modified to be either resistant to pests or tolerant of herbicides, including the popular weed killer Roundup, so that farmers can spray throughout the growing season without harming crops.

2013-03-06 |

Statewide GMO labeling onitiatives still going strong in the USA

A movement to eliminate such ingredients in food has brought about awareness and posed questions regarding the negetive effects of biotechnology on human health and the environment. While some scientists say GMO doesn’t pose a threat to either, many state-initiatives bills and campaigns continue to try and reach legislation in an effort to mandate labeling at the federal level. Washington and New Mexico are just two of the 30 states that are gaining ground on their current initiative to mandate labeling. But, with most of the remaining states also behind the movement through proposed bills and campaigns, the anti-GMO movement is far from over.

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