The Organic & Non-GMO Report Newsletter

Move over synbio stevia; there are new GMO sweeteners in town

The stevia plant (Stevia rebaudiana) features leaves that contain sweetness compounds known as rebaudiosides, or Rebs for short. Each Reb has a slightly different flavor profile. When extracted from the stevia leaf, they combine to create a sweetener that has a slightly bitter, and often unpopular, aftertaste. Various brands of synthetic biology (synbio) stevia have been […]

Reviving agroforestry for soil health, weather protection, and water quality

A “forest garden,” with rows of trees and shrubs interplanted with crops? Faced with climate change’s deleterious impact on growing food, sustainability experts are looking to agroforestry. This co-existence of trees and crops on farmland was common in earlier times. “The whole Eastern U.S. in pre-European eras had a lot of agroforestry. That was how […]

Next-Gen acrylamide-reducing yeast is non-GMO

Kerry has released Acryleast™ Pro, an advanced iteration of the company’s signature acrylamide-reducing, non-GMO yeast. Acrylamide is a long-confirmed neurotoxin found to form in carbohydrate-rich foods that are heated and cooked at temperatures above 120°C or 248°F. The yeast aids food manufacturers aiming to reduce acrylamide in common food products for adults and children. Fully […]

Lawsuit challenges narrow and unclear GMO food labeling rules

Center for Food Safety (CFS) and a coalition of food labeling nonprofits and retailers filed an appeal last week with the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, challenging a previous ruling that allows the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to continue using the misleading terminology “bioengineered” and avoid labeling the majority of genetically engineered (GMO) foods. In the lower court […]

California lawmakers try to halt approval of GM mosquitoes

California’s state legislature is vigorously swatting away approval of Oxitec’s genetically modified mosquito—approved for release in Tulare County by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency but awaiting the OK from the Department of Pesticide Regulation. Based on unknown impacts such a move could unleash upon humans and other species, the lawmakers are pushing the Department to […]