GMO
GMO food-label bill clears another hurdle in New York Assembly
A bill for mandatory labeling of GMO foods advanced to the Rules Committee in the New York Assembly, the lower house of the state legislature. The group GMO Free NY said it was up to Speaker Carl Heastie "to move the bill forward to a floor vote or let it die even though there are 82 of 150 Assemblymembers as cosponsors of the bill."
GMO-label bill gains committee approval in New York Assembly
The Codes Committee of the New York Assembly, the lower house of the state legislature, approved a GMO food labeling bill on a 12-9 vote with less than two weeks left in the session. Lawmakers said the committee vote was a sign the labeling bill, which now needs approval by the Ways and Means Committee, has strength to pass this year.
GMO label ‘has to meet the one-second test’
The only consumer-friendly solution to the GMO food-labeling impasse in the Senate is to require printed disclosure of ingredients on the package, says Oregon Sen. Jeff Merkley. "It has to meet the one-second test," Merkley told a conference of the Organic Trade Association, meaning that shoppers can tell at a glance if GMOs are present.
Sugar beet growers unfazed by GMO debate, record crop expected
At the same time sugar cane production ends in Hawaii, the USDA forecasts a record harvest next year of sugar beets, grown in the upper Midwest and the West and the dominant U.S. source of sugar, reported Reuters. "The estimate indicates that beet farmers are remaining resolute even as food manufacturers shun GMO crops like their beet sugar."
Farm groups seek to exempt gene editing from biotech rules
Two decades into the era of agricultural biotechnology, the United States is updating its regulatory system, in which USDA, EPA and FDA are the gatekeepers for commercialization of genetically modified crops and livestock.
Yogurt maker Dannon says it will use GMO labels nationwide
With $2.6 billion in annual sales, Dannon is the latest entry on the list of large U.S. food companies that will put GMO labels its products nationwide "to ensure full transparency for consumers."
GMO food-labeling impasse defies Senate solution
The leaders of the Senate Agriculture Committee say they're trying to resolve the congressional stand-off over labeling foods made with genetically modified organisms, with the first mandatory labeling law to take effect in 10 weeks in Vermont.
DuPont announces its first CRISPR-created crop, waxy corn
The second-largest seed company in the world, DuPont Pioneer, announced development of a new strain of waxy corn using CRISPR-Cas gene-editing technology.
Monsanto, looking beyond traditional GMOs
Robb Fraley, chief technology officer for Monsanto, said in an interview that the world's largest seed company spends half of its research budget on classical plant breeding, speeded-up by genomic tools, writes Tom Philpott in Mother Jones.
GE mushroom that resists browning free of USDA biotech rules
USDA said a mushroom whose genes were edited is not subject to its biotechnology regulations because it contains no added genetic material.
After 20 years, plantings of GE crops plateau
A slump in commodity prices stalled worldwide plantings of genetically engineered crops at 179.7 million hectares (444 million acres) in 2015, says a group that encourages use of agricultural biotechnology.
After China allegedly stole Iowa corn seed, U.S. calls for more farm security
U.S. law enforcement officials are calling on farms growing GMO seed to bolster their security against foreign nationals set on stealing the technology, says Reuters.
When you’re the leader, you’re the spear-catcher, says Monsanto chief
Monsanto, the world's largest seed company, is also among the most controversial because of its leadership in GMO crops. Monsanto chief executive Hugh Grant said on the NPR's "Here & Now" that controversy comes with the territory. "Sometimes when you’re first out the gate, when you’re in a leadership position like that, you become the de facto spear-catcher," said Grant.
USDA approves Monsanto biotech corn resistant to dicamba
The U.S. government approved commercialization of a genetically engineered corn variety from Monsanto that tolerates the weedkillers dicamba and gulfosinate.
ConAgra to label GMO foods; activists ask, ‘Who’s next?’
The seventh-largest food and beverage company in Canada and the United States, ConAgra Foods, says it will comply with Vermont's first-in-the-nation GMO food-labeling law by putting labels on products sold throughout the country.
General Mills to label foods containing GMOs
One of the largest US food companies, General Mills, said it will begin labeling foods that contain genetically modified ingredients.
‘On-package’ GMO labels may mislead, says Vilsack
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack is unwavering in his support of digital disclosure as the way to handle GMO food labeling.
Election-year finger-pointing as Senate rejects GMO pre-emption bill
In a vote with election-year implications, the Senate rejected a bill to pre-empt state GMO food-labeling laws in a roll call that broke along party-lines, highlighted by maneuvering by Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to allow a new vote later.