A major shift towards organic agriculture in the UK would cause a shift in the commodity mix – and subsequently be accompanied by healthier eating options, concludes a new report.
Prices for key commodities used by food manufacturers may have eased since their peaks last year, but the cost of cereals and vegetable oils in the near term will remain far higher than pre-2008, projects the OECD.
Participants in the Round Table on Responsible Soy unanimously agreed a set of voluntary production standards on Thursday to reduce the negative environmental and social impacts of soy production.
A new internet portal dedicated to providing information on animal welfare legislation, research and standards, practices and policies has been launched by the Food and Agriculture Organisation.
Speculation in the commodity markets needs close monitoring to help ease price volatility, the first ever G8 meeting of agricultural ministers has concluded, and agri-food chains should be more closely-coordinated to boost efficiency.
Mars has pledged that its entire cocoa supply will be certified as sustainably produced by 2020, through a multi-year, multi-country deal forged with the Rainforest Alliance.
Environment ministers yesterday voted against a proposal to force Hungary and Austria to lift bans on the growing of genetically modified crops, indicating that the great European rift over GM is still wide.
Africa needs to grow and export more organic produce to help tackle issues of food security and sustainability and help meet global demand which continues to grow, according to a UN agency report.
Depending on the consumers to drive the food system down a more sustainable route is misplaced as government, food manufacturers and other industry players need to take the wheel, according to a new report.
Global grain markets are facing breaking point because of drought and mass urbanisation in China which is diverting land-use away from crops, according to a new study from researchers at the University of Leeds.
Who likes pesticides? Misunderstood by consumers and misrepresented by pressure groups, pesticides are a soft target for legislators. The latest blow to that soft target could have hard consequences for the European food industry and for developing countries.
A successful trial of biotech tomatoes with high anthocyanin that saw them increase the life-span of cancer-prone rats could help strengthen the positive side of the GM debate in the UK, says the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service.
The EU needs to channel more funding into organic research to counter the ills facing agriculture, say advocates at the launch of the new Technology Platform: Organics.
“Four legs good, two legs bad.” When the pigs take over the land in George Orwell’s Animal Farm, they have no hesitation; any creature with four legs is beyond reproach and any human is bad, mad and dangerous to know.
BASF Crop Protection is developing a new set of criteria and standards for sustainable fruit and veg production for supermarket chain Rewe, which are intended to give sustainability assurances throughout the food chain, right through to consumers.
The vast offer of aid to China following its devastating earthquake in May reflects the food industry’s increasing move towards displaying strategic corporate responsibility.
Last month's devastating earthquake in China has severely damaged
the country's agricultural supply, resulting in $6bn (€3.8bn) worth
of damage in the Sichuan province.
Genetically modified (GM) crops could help address spiralling prices, said UK ministers, sparking yet another European debate on their role in the global food arena.
Stepping up food production and ending trade restrictions could
lift millions out of poverty while helping bring down soaring
prices, said UN secretary-general Ban Ki-Moon.
A three-pronged approach including stepping up scientific research
and embracing innovative technology will help combat new food
challenges, says US secretary of agriculture, Ed Schafer.
Growing regular tomatoes in a mulch of hairy vetch activates the
same flavour and nutrition-boosting genes and metabolic pathways as
in transgenic tomatoes, report ARS scientists.
The application of modern horticultural techniques could revive
cultivation of traditional fruits in Africa like baobab,
butterfruit and tamarind, according to a new report.
The German ruling coalition has agreed to allow foods containing
certain GM additives or using GM processing aids to still be
labelled as non-GM if there is no alternative, in a bid to
encourage use of non-GM labels.
Ingredient innovators looking for inspiration from exotic fruits
may be able to cash in on an Agricultural Research Service project
which is looking into ways to bring even more tropical fruits to
the US.
A leading organic dairy processor in the US has announced a new
research initiative for reducing its carbon footprint, as part of a
new funding program designed to improve efficiency in sustainable
production.
A snack bar which can stay moist and chewy for up to 24 months
without the need for artificial preservatives has been developed by
scientists in California.
Organically grown tomatoes contain higher levels of beneficial
flavonoids, says a new study from the US that fans the flames of
the debate between conventional and organic foods.
Biotech behemoth Monsanto has joined forces with gene technology
expert Chromatin to develop ways of increasing the
number of modified genes that can be inserted into crops such as
soybeans and corn.
Two French research institutes, CIRAD and INRA, have set up a
public interest group to promote the country's agricultural
research projects internationally.
Syngenta is to acquire a 49 per cent take in Chinese seed company
Sanbei with a view to jointly developing corn seed products to meet
growing demand driven by changing food patterns and agronomic
trends.
A major shift in agricultural methods and their environmental
impact is urgenty required to protect productivity and food
security in the future, the UN's Food and Agriculture
Organisation (FAO) warns today.
A scientist in Thailand has reported success in a decades-long
quest to produce an odourless variety of the infamous durian fruit
- but aficionados claim this amounts to removal of fruit's most
appealing quality.
The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has been accused of failing
to protect the nation's food supply, following last week's
withdrawal of a long-grain rice seed after possible contamination
with genetically modified material.
EFSA has met with the four member states currently involved in GM
environmental risk assessments in order to discuss the development
of an EU-wide approach.
New UK government proposals to allow up to 0.9 per cent GM in
organic food without it being labelled threatens a highly lucrative
industry, claim campaigners.
A UK-government research study on the environmental impacts of food
production casts doubt on commonly held opinions, such as claims
that organics are greener than conventionally-grown produce or that
preserved products have less...
A high-speed imagining system using satellite technology to detect
contamination and defects could soon be part of standard food
safety equipment if prototype testing proves successful.
Climate change will directly affect future food availability and
make feeding the world's rapidly growing population extremely
difficult, said the FAO.
Three projects drawing on the expertise of researchers in both the
UK and France could translate into practical improvements in crop
and agronomic science.