Rising incomes in developing countries puts an 84% drop in global malnutrition by 2050 in sight – but it won’t happen unless agricultural productivity continues to increase and climate change is factored in, say researchers.
A new law being discussed in Brussels this week could give biotech companies “unprecedented power” over decisions to ban genetically modified (GM) crops in Europe, according to Friends of the Earth (FoE).
French researchers have expressed 'serious concern' at a recent decision by a court to clear 54 activists who destroyed 70 experimental genetically modified (GM) grapevines in 2010.
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has delivered a positive scientific opinion on Monsanto’s MON 87769 soybean crop, which has been genetically modified to contain stearidonic acid.
Economic interests have been given precedence over public health
The decision to retract research linking the consumption of herbicide and genetically modified crops to cancer in rats was based on 'double standards' and pressure from the GM food industry, claims the man behind the study.
Industry-sponsored academic research leads to innovative patents and licenses, and may not skew science towards inventions that are less accessible and less useful to others, according to a new analysis.
From the benefits of gluten-free to those of Mediterranean and Palaeolithic diets, many claims that one dietary strategy are better than another for health and weight loss are simply 'unjustified' and 'sometimes utter nonsense', according...
The UK government’s Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) has granted permission for field trials of genetically modified (GM) camelina plants that accumulate omega-3s in their seeds.
The European Union’s central science agency must become more transparent to meet rapid technological change in food and agriculture, its likely next chief told the European Parliament this week. And conflicts of interest were not an issue.
Detection of genetically modified (GM) material in internationally traded non-GM food and feed has spiked in the past few years, interrupting trade and adding to food losses, according to the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).
A proposal to allow member states to ban the cultivation of genetically modified (GM) crops for reasons other than environmental or health grounds would leave countries open to legal challenges, claims Greenpeace.
Meat from grass-fed organic dairy steers may be of greater nutritional quality than conventionally raised steers, but falls below standard in overall consumer liking and flavour tests, according to research.
The European Parliament’s Greens Group has threatened to bring a motion of censure against the Commission if it goes ahead with authorisation of GM maize variety 1507 for cultivation, after just five of 28 member states voted in favour earlier this week.
A majority of EU member states voted against approving a genetically modified (GM) maize variety for cultivation in Europe at a Council of Ministers meeting on Tuesday – but the Commission may still approve the crop under EU rules.
Dr Patrick Moore – Greenpeace founding member and GM defector – represents a fear that lurks in the heart of all ideologists: Am I on the right side of the fence? Am I the goodie or the baddie?
The German government will abstain from a vote on the cultivation of a variety of genetically modified (GM) maize next week, spokesperson Steffen Seibert said on Wednesday.
The European Union (EU) zero threshold policy for unapproved GM crops and foods could lead to 'severe' economic problems if it ever leads to a disruption in trade with major exporting countries, warn researchers.
A new comprehensive test that combines two well-known genetic analysis methods into a single test could help enforce stricter regulation of genetically modified foods in the future, say researchers.
Europe will become a food and farming museum without science on genetic modification (GM), environment secretary Owen Paterson has warned – echoing food manufacturers’ long-standing fears.
Certification by German-government backed 'Ohne Gentechnik' labelling scheme will help British supplier Ulrick & Short to a competitive advantage in the GM-sensitive German market, says the firm.
The UK government has confirmed its intention to intervene in a case against the European Commission's approval of a Monsanto GM soy variety at the European Court of Justice.
A European court has annulled approval of BASF’s genetically modified (GM) Amflora potato in the European Union, saying the Commission had not followed proper procedures.
There is a gap in the market for non-genetically modified lecithin, as the major soy producing countries are dominated by GM crops, according to Cargill’s fluid lecithin product manager Thorsten Bornholdt.
By Katherine Rich, chief executive of the New Zealand Food and Grocery Council
The retraction last week by the journal Food and Chemical Toxicology of the widely criticised anti-GM research paper commonly referred to as “the Séralini paper” no doubt left many in the science community and food industry around the world rightly asking...
The researcher behind a heavily criticised study linking Monsanto's GM maize and Roundup products to cancer in rats says he will not willingly withdraw the research, after the journal issued a 'withdraw or be retracted' ultimatum yesterday.
Why is your business using social media? To sell more products? Raise your profile? Change your image? Find out what key ‘influencers’ really think about your brands? Identify and target a new customer base? Or because everyone else is on Twitter and...
A heavily criticised rat study that linked Monsanto's genetically modified maize and the herbicide Roundup to increased cancer risks is set to be withdrawn by the journal that published it.
The global market for non-GMO food and beverage products shows great promise in the coming years, but its success is far from guaranteed, as global consumer support for mandatory GMO labeling is mixed, and there is little indication of a surge toward...
Those who oppose genetically modified (GM) rice enhanced with vitamin A in Africa and Asia are “wicked” and could be responsible for millions of premature deaths, warns environment secretary Owen Paterson.
There is ‘no specific scientific evidence’ to support an Italian ban on the genetically modified maize MON810, according to the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA).
Widespread opposition to genetically modified (GM) crops in Africa has been described as a farce, based on fear of the unknown, by an African agriculture organisation chaired by former UN secretary-general Kofi Annan.
Monsanto has denied media claims that it is pulling out of Europe – although it has said it will withdraw pending applications for four genetically modified crops in the EU.
Europe risks being left behind the rest of the world unless it adopts genetically modified (GM) crops, the UK environment minister Owen Paterson is expected to say this morning.
Blanket opposition to genetically modified crops is “a morally unacceptable position to take on the basis of unsubstantiated suspicions and fears”, according to the boss of Toronto-based firm Maple Leaf Foods.
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has issued guidance on how to evaluate the introduction of genetically modified (GM) animals in the European Union.
Major retailers from five European countries have urged greater support of non-GM soy production in Brazil, as increased demand for genetically modified (GM) soy from China risks diminishing non-GM supply.
UK retailers have been misled about tight supply of non-genetically modified (GM) feed, which led them to reverse requirements for GM-free poultry feed, according to the Brazilian Association of Non-GMO Grain Producers (Abrange).
With over 30 years in the food industry, with a third of it spent providing and promoting food safety certification with Cert ID Europe, Richard Werran knows a fair bit about genetically modified crops in sustainable agriculture.
Monsanto is threatening the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) with legal action after the European Union’s central science agency published data relating to a Monsanto genetically modified (GM) maize form.
Whether you are ‘pro’ or ‘anti’ genetic engineering has become a divisive political issue, but remember that we are talking about technology; it shouldn’t be an ideology.
BASF has said it will stop seeking approval of its genetically modified (GM) potato varieties in the European Union after a decade of research and investment, citing uncertainties in the regulatory environment.
EU health commissioner Tonio Borg intends to prioritise discussions with key European member states about permissible grounds for banning cultivation of genetically modified (GM) crops in individual countries, according to a spokesperson for the commissioner.
The European Commission has called for public views on genetically modified (GM) foods in the European Union, as part of a survey examining attitudes to organic agriculture legislation.
Two-thirds of UK consumers think it is important that genetically modified (GM) foods are labelled, although only 2% actively look for GM content when buying foods for the first time, according to a new report from the Food Standards Agency (FSA).
Celebrity chefs and other leading opinion-formers are poisoning the debate about genetically modified (GM) food, claims environmentalist and author Mark Lynas.
The UK’s environment secretary Owen Paterson has called for faster EU approval processes for genetically modified (GM) crops and more public reassurance of its benefits, at a meeting of the nation’s farming industry on Thursday.
Separating food science from food fiction is the aim of a free live webinar to be staged on Thursday, January 24, 2013. FoodManufacture.co.uk has teamed up with the Institute of Food Science & Technology (IFST) to help move the debate about challenging...
