USDA official: We are shutting the door on fraudulent organic imports

NOP’s Jennifer Tucker is confident organic fraud is being stopped, but organic grain supplier is skeptical In the wake of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Organic Program (NOP) recent warning to organic certifiers about possible fraudulent imports of organic soybeans and soybean meal from West Africa, an NOP official says her agency is “shutting […]

Rotten tomato: Biotech company makes false claim about its GMO purple tomato

Norfolk Healthy Produce says its patented GMO technology is the only way to develop a purple flesh tomato containing antioxidants but Oregon State University developed an antioxidant-rich purple tomato more than a decade ago using traditional plant breeding. Norfolk Healthy Produce, a UK-based biotechnology company that developed a much-hyped purple tomato, claims on its website […]

Not so precise fermentation: Lab finds 92 unknown compounds in synthetic biology milk

Testing reveals unknown molecules and fungicide in Bored Cow dairy alternative; findings dispute claims that synthetic biology-produced dairy protein is identical to real dairy protein. A laboratory recently discovered 92 unknown compounds in an alternative dairy product produced using a “precision fermentation” process that involves the use of genetic engineering. Molecules unknown to science Iowa-based […]

Regenerative organic certification reaffirms Lundberg Family Farms’ four generation mission to “leave the land better than we found it”

Company sets goal to certify all organic rice grown on its farms as regenerative organic by 2027 Lundberg Family Farms, a leading grower of organic rice and maker of packaged rice and rice snacks, recently announced it is the first U.S.-grown rice brand to earn Regenerative Organic Certification. As part of its robust sustainability efforts, […]

Testy exchange marks precision fermentation session at Expo West

In response to a complaint that the session was one-sided opposing the GMO technology, panelists said synthetic biology conferences are one-sided in favor of the technology, and that precision fermentation companies have no business exhibiting at a natural products trade show. An educational session at Natural Products Expo West on so-called “precision fermentation”—a new GMO/synthetic […]