The Organic & Non-GMO Report Newsletter

Pandemic inspires healthier, organic food choices

As Americans have more time to cook during lockdown, and are concerned about protecting against the coronavirus, more dollars are pouring into organic food purchases. Organic food and beverages surged 25% for the 17-week period ending June 27 (Nielsen data). Organic meat, seafood, frozen items, and snack sales stoked the trend, with consumers grabbing Annie’s […]

COVID-19, the gut microbiota and glyphosate: What are the links?

By Michelle Perro, MD; executive director GMOScience At-a-glance UK scientists (Prof. Glenn Gibson, Dr. Gemma Walton, Dr. Kirsty Hunter and Prof. Tim Spector) requested that Matt Hancock (the country’s health secretary) call attention to the links between gut health and SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19). (The original content of the letter was not located) Via the lung-gut pathway, […]

EU “Farm to Fork” strategy: genetic engineering is not sustainable

In its new “Farm to Fork” strategy, the European Commission sees the potential of “new genomic technologies” or new genetic engineering technologies to increase sustainability and reduce pesticides.  This stance was denounced by the German Association for Food without Genetic Engineering (VLOG). Alexander Hissting, managing director of VLOG said: “Genetic engineering is not sustainable. On […]

Unvetted GM mosquitoes soon to hover in Florida, Texas

Amid the coronavirus crisis, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently approved the release of millions of genetically engineered mosquitoes in Monroe County, Florida and Harris County, Texas. British company Oxitec chose the Florida Keys as its first test site for the modified Aedes aegypti mosquitoes that contain a gene that prevents female offspring from surviving. […]

EU to halve pesticides by 2030 to protect bees, biodiversity: draft

In a document published May 20, the European Commission proposed cutting in half the use of chemicals and “high-risk” pesticides by 2030. The proposal seeks to protect pollinators—bee colonies have undergone extreme losses in the past 15 years, threatening 76% of food production in Europe, officials claim. Outdoor use of neonicotinoids was banned in 2018. […]