The Organic & Non-GMO Report Newsletter

First trials over deadly pesticide Paraquat scheduled for this year

More than 3,000 farmers have filed lawsuits against paraquat’s manufacturers, Chevron and Syngenta The herbicide paraquat was introduced in 1962 and promoted as an alternative to plowing soil, which began to fall into disfavor because of its degradation of soil. Chevron, paraquat’s manufacturer, claimed the weedkiller was necessary for no-till farming. Paraquat remains one of […]

GMO wheat contaminating conventional wheat in Argentina

Maker of the GMO wheat, Bioceres-Indear, reported that 25 mills are mixing the GMO wheat with conventional wheat. The GMO wheat, which is genetically engineered to withstand sprays of the toxic glufosinate ammonium, was denounced by more than a thousand scientists, producers (both agroecological and agribusiness), and socio-environmental organizations.  Bioceres-Indear claims that its own studies […]

Gene-edited leafy greens launched in the U.S. but consumers won’t know they are eating a GMO product

Pairwise, a food startup, recently announced the launch of its inaugural product, Conscious™ Greens, under its Conscious Foods brand. The product is claimed to be “the first food introduced in the U.S. that was developed with CRISPR (gene editing) technology.” Conscious Greens Purple Power Baby Greens Blend will be co-branded with Performance Food Group’s (PFG) Peak Fresh […]

Italy bans lab-grown food as threat to tradition

Italy wants to safeguard its agri-food heritage, and its agriculture ministry feels high-tech, laboratory-produced food— “from cell cultures or tissues derived from vertebrate animals”—goes against its priority. “Laboratory products in our opinion do not guarantee quality, well-being and the protection of our culture, our tradition,” said Minister Francesco Lollobrigida, a senior member of Prime Minister […]

GMO mosquito experiment halted in California’s Central Valley

Environmentalists, scientists, and unprotected agricultural communities across California were pleased this May when the California Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) announced the withdrawal of a permit for a mass release of genetically engineered mosquitoes in the Central Valley. The biotech corporation Oxitec won’t be releasing billions of the GM insects in Tulare County without sufficient […]