Merchants of Poison: How Monsanto Sold the World on a Toxic Pesticide reveals how pesticide companies have waged expensive campaigns to shape the narrative about science and our food system, pushing the ideas that pesticides — a term that encompasses insecticides, herbicides, fungicides, and more — are safe and that we need them to feed… Read more »
The New York Times by Andrew Pollack Source: Kelly Teague The United States on Friday approved the commercial planting of genetically engineered apples that are resistant to turning brown when sliced or bruised. The developer of the apple, a small Canadian company called Okanagan Specialty Fruits, says it believes the apples will help improve sales… Read more »
The area of U.S. cropland infested with glyphosate-resistant weeds has expanded to 61.2 million acres in 2012, according to a survey conducted by Stratus Agri-Marketing. Nearly half of all U.S. farmers interviewed reported that glyphosate-resistant weeds were present on their farm in 2012, up from 34% of farmers in 2011. The survey also indicates that… Read more »
By Nick Maravell John Block’s Op Ed “A Reality Check for Organic Food Dreamers” incorrectly states, “organic farming cannot produce the amount of food that is demanded in today’s world,” and that it “stands in the way of progress.” While most studies show that certain organic crops, such as corn, would have slightly lower yields and… Read more »
Latest acquisition adds to General Mills’ presence in organic and natural foods. Star Tribune by Adam Belz General Mills is buying its way into the natural and organic food market as it wrestles with stagnating demand for its traditional packaged items. The company said Monday that it has agreed to purchase Annie’s Inc., the firm known for its… Read more »
Join The Cornucopia Institute as we keep you informed via live tweet and web updates from the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) meeting in St. Paul, MN October 24-26. We will be sharing the play by play both below and with our Twitter followers, at #NOSB or by simply following our stream. For background on issues up… Read more »
Report Cites Scientific Evidence Making a Compelling Case for Organic Diet Click here to read the report The Cornucopia Institute released a report today making the compelling case for protecting children’s health and development by choosing organic foods over their conventional, chemically grown and produced counterparts. The report, Protecting Children’s Health: Choosing Organic Food to… Read more »
Join The Cornucopia Institute as we keep you informed via web updates from the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) meeting online. We will be sharing the play by play of the meeting on October 24, 25, and 26 below. For background on issues up for discussion at the meeting, see: The NOSB’s Proposals & Discussion… Read more »
Modern Farmer by Andrew Jenner In 2010, a young man on a quest for enlightenment walked into the office of Jerry Hatfield, director of the USDA’s National Laboratory for Agriculture and the Environment in Ames, Iowa. His name was John Kempf, and he was eager to learn more about Hatfield’s plant physiology work, which deals with the… Read more »
The Atlantic By Barry Estabrook The USDA keeps a list of inorganic products that can legally go into foods labeled organic, but new board members could change things When is “USDA Organic” not organic? More often than you probably realize. The USDA keeps a “National List” of inorganic products that can legally go into foods… Read more »
