I have the good fortune to spend some of my work week researching and reviewing news and information as it relates to organic food and agriculture. Because my job is to communicate findings, I am often called upon to speak to groups equally as interested but not afforded the time to invest in such extracurricular investigations. I have become the tribal bookworm and the town crier, pretty ironically considering that I spent most of my adult life in the world of fresh produce (reading and writing only after hours, please). One of the topics I regularly research and address is the ramifications of genetically modified organisms (GMOs), specifically GMO crops. When I happened upon an email from The ETC Group I discovered one issue with GMOs that I hadn’t fully pondered. That being “How are genetically modified organisms spreading into the environment and affecting the natural evolution of our planet? “ Continue reading “The evolutionary party never ends; what part do we play?”
Tag: Genetically modified organism
The future of GMOs in our food: How do we move forward?
The end of the year gives us an opportunity to reflect on the past and engage in envisioning our future. We look back at a year of costly GMO (genetically modified organisms) labeling battles that drained over seven million dollars from pro-labeling funders’ coffers. The momentum we achieved was exhilarating until it became obvious that we were being outspent and undermined by erroneous messaging. Washington State fell by narrow margins reminiscent of the California defeat.
Continue reading “The future of GMOs in our food: How do we move forward?”
GMO Science or Science-Fiction?
As most of you know, I am an outspoken advocate for labeling GMOs in our food supply. My family is well aware of this, so I was perplexed recently when my sister sent me an article titled, “GMOs Are Nothing to Fear” . She was flummoxed by the contradictory nature of what this article touted and what I have been preaching. This article, being an opinion piece written in a widely read publication, made me skeptical. I wanted to know more about the actual scientific content the author cited, and I was quite curious about the actual studies. I decided to take a deeper dive and look into the facts around such messaging. Continue reading “GMO Science or Science-Fiction?”
A tidal wave of GMO news
The news is flooded with rising awareness: there is a battle raging on genetically modified organisms (GMOs). Some of the news is disappointing and the endless flow of funding to defeat our right to know what‘s in our food can be discouraging. But some of the news is hopeful, as we witness the relentless power and resiliency concerned consumers have. It’s important to be aware of GMO news and be educated on the ebb and flow of this battle. Continue reading “A tidal wave of GMO news”
Let’s give Eve a better apple?
There’s a new apple variety out there created in laboratories that could be coming to your store in early 2014. It looks and smells like an apple but with one distinct difference, the molecules that express its genes have been tinkered with.
The creators of this genetically engineered apple hail it as “Nature at Its Best”. They go on to say “We all love apples! Until they turn brown, that is. Arctic® apples are everything you love about apples, without the “yuck” factor…” Continue reading “Let’s give Eve a better apple?”