The genetically engineered AquAdvantage salmon is cleared for sale as food in Canada, the first food animal approved for the commercial market, said Canadian health officials. The salmon, which also was the first GE animal approved by U.S. regulators, will not be required to carry a label in stores to say it was genetically modified, said the CBC.

The updated Nutrition Facts label "is going to make a real difference in providing families across the country the information they need to make healthy choices," said First Lady Michelle Obama. The new label, to be in full use by July 2018, prominently lists the number of calories in a serving, expands serving sizes in line with U.S. eating patterns, and for the first time shows how many grams of sugar are added to foods during processing.

One of the greatest threats to cotton and soybean producers is Palmer amaranth, an invasive and aggressively growing weed. The weed has developed resistance to the widely used weedkiller glyphosate and now Palmer amaranth populations in Arkansas are resistant to a class of herbicides known as PPO inhibitors, compounding the challenge of weed control, says a University of Illinois researcher.

The aptly named snakehead, a fish native to China, was already starring in horror films when it was discovered in the Potomac River in 2004, says Bay Journal. Now the snakehead is firmly established in more than 60 miles of the river, but "their fearsome reputation has softened some, at least among recreational anglers who've found they're fun to catch and not bad-tasting either.

The bottom line in a Cornell study: If you want school children to eat more fruit, serve them sliced apples rather than whole fruit. "It sounds simplistic but even the simplest forms of inconvenience affect consumption," says David Just, professor of behavioral economics, told the Washington Post.

The nation’s largest produce industry groups have pledged to work together to improve farm labor conditions, in what could be the most significant step in the movement yet, says the Los Angeles Times. The Produce Marketing Association and the United Fresh Produce Association, which together represent thousands of retailers, growers and distributors, say they are considering an audit-based approach to improving working conditions, similar to that used by the apparel and electronics industries.

The third year in a row of steadily increasing global demand for sugar, forecast to reach a record 174 million tonnes in 2016/17, is eating through stockpiles that began to pile up in 2012, says USDA. "Consequently, stocks are approaching what appear to be historically low levels," said the semi-annual Sugar: World Markets and Trade report.

Three members of the Senate Agriculture Committee — Joni Ernst of Iowa, David Perdue of Georgia and John Thune of South Dakota — are on the long list of potential running mates for presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump. "Perhaps the buzziest" is Ernst, elected to the Senate in 2014, says political website Sabato's Crystal Ball.

The constitutionality of Oregon's "right to farm" law is an issue in a lawsuit that seeks $4.2 million for damages that allegedly resulted from errant aerial application of pesticide on forest land in southwestern corner of the state. Landowner Joseph Kaufman and the applicator, Pacific Air Research, say they're immune from liability under the right to farm law, says Capitol Press.

Thanks to seemingly unquenchable consumer demand, the U.S. organic industry tallied sales of $43.3 billion in 2015, up 11 percent from the previous year and the latest in a string of records.

Without action to protect the efficacy of antibiotics and to develop new antimicrobials, 10 million people a year would die worldwide due to drug-resistant bacteria by 2050, said a study commissioned by the British government. The report called for coordinated action worldwide to reduce unnecessary use of antibiotics, pointing to animal agriculture in particular.

IA San Francisco federal judge ruled that the city has the right to force sugary beverage companies to post health warnings in display ads for their products, says The San Francisco Chronicle. The law, which is the first in the nation, was challenged in court by the American Beverage Association, the California Retailers Association and the California State Outdoor Advertising Association. It will take effect on July 25th.

In a step that pleased no one, the EPA proposed a small increase in the biofuels share of the gasoline market for 2017. The overall target for biofuels would rise to 18.8 billion gallons, up by 700 million gallons from this year, with corn ethanol earmarked for 14.8 billion gallons, a 300 million-gallon increase.

Companion bills in the House and Senate aim to reduce food waste by standardizing the food-date labeling now presented in a confusing array of phrases such as "sell by," "use by," and "expires on." The legislation by Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut and Chellie Pingree of Maine is backed by food processors, consumer groups, environmentalists and the leading food-gleaning charity.