Articles

In the world of food and farming, the debate between organic and genetically modified is sometimes portrayed as a lifestyle choice versus rational science. Nothing could be more wrong, writes Pat Thomas For nearly 30 years genetic modification (GM) has been promising to raise yields, lower pesticide use, protect the environment and improve the nutritional […]

Throughout the U.S., major food brands are trying to get rid of GMO ingredients—not necessarily for the right reasons, but because nearly half of consumers say they avoid them in their food, primarily for health reasons. But the CEO of Impossible Foods, purveyor of the Impossible Burger, is bucking that trend. The manufacturers of the […]

Synthetic biology – altering or redesigning genes to meet human objectives – is a fast-developing field. So far mostly applied in agriculture and medicine, synthetic biology could have substantial knock-on effects on conservation – including modified genes spreading to non-target species and affecting broader ecosystems. But, according to a new report Genetic Frontiers for Conservation […]

Avocados contaminated with listeria. Romaine lettuce recalled for E. coli contamination. It’s no wonder consumers are concerned about getting sick from the very food health experts recommend they eat more of: fresh fruits and vegetables. The latest statistics from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) serve only toreinforce consumer wariness. The CDC estimates that 48 million people become ill due […]

The EAT Lancet Commission report, Food in the Anthropocene, has proclaimed itself a blueprint for a “great food transition”; but instead of creating clarity it has sown only confusion and controversy The authors of the EAT Lancet Commission report, Food in the Anthropocene, may not have intended their work to be a polemic, but polemic […]

How do we regulate gene-edited animals? It’s not a new question but it’s one that is gaining urgency as biotechnology companies turn their attention to intentional alterations in animal genomes. This week, in a comment published this week on The Conversation and quickly picked up by Newsweek and multiple other outlets, the question was posed: […]

‘Bioengineering’ nutrients into our food – a promise which so far has failed to materialise – distracts us from real issues of soil degradation, climate change, poor diet choices and lack of political will to support a right to food.

2019 has begun with questions about food. How will we eat in the future? What is the healthiest diet for people and planet? And who do we trust to decide this for us? These questions took centre stage over the last week as a new report, Food in the Anthropocene, was published. The report, compiled […]

The Scottish Government has just voted against a proposal to allow mechanical dredging of kelp forests off the coast of the Western isles. The controversial proposal to industrialise Scotland’s natural kelp forests has been in the pipeline for many years. Marine Biopolymers, the company behind it, argued that the dredging and processing of the kelp […]

There is no question that our food system is broken. The way we farm, the way we process, sell, buy and eat food has become an exercise in a polluted environment and polluted, undernourished bodies. Against this backdrop the word ‘organic’ is sometimes waived like a flag – or worn like a magic cloak – […]