You gonna eat that? Research published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found that once planted in the wild, genetically modified organisms, such as bio-engineered fruit, grain or vegetables can change native, wild plant neighbors’ DNA. In the future, food activists worry, you might not even have a dietary choice.

A flurry of news stories, blog posts and Tweets have “cropped up” in recent weeks around this study and related events. Even teenagers are dialed into the debate over the merits and dangers of GMOs, says Jenny …

Tags: agriculture , Automotive High School , crops , EcoMeme , environment , farming , food , foodie , GMO , modified , organics , slow food , sustainable

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When farmers in Mato Grosso, the top soy-producing state in Brazil, were introduced to GMO soy varieties, they jumped at the chance to plant them, even though the country’s government hadn’t yet approved their use. It was a foolish risk to take; the GM soy these farmers planted has consistently provided lower yields than conventional soy varieties.

About half of the soy grown in Mato Grosso is genetically modified, but because of the lower yields – and the fact that many distributors are shunning GMO – quite a …

Tags: Brazil , farming , genetically modified organisms , GMO , soy

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Take a look through your cupboards. Read the ingredient labels on your organic and natural food products (and your conventional ones). You’ll likely see soy lecithin on a large proportion of labels. You probably don’t know that the soy lecithin in your organic food is most likely from non-organic genetically modified soybeans.

Doesn’t the National Organic Rule prohibit the use of both non-organic ingredients and GMOs?

It does, but there is one important thing to know about this rule….foods can be labeled organic if they contain …

Tags: agriculture , food , GMO , organic , soy , soy lecithin , soybeans

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Currently, residents of the United States and Canada consume genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in around 70% of the foods they buy in grocery stores. By comparison, consumers in the European Union nations, Japan, China, Australia, New Zealand and other countries are able to avoid GMOs because their governments require mandatory labeling on foods that contain genetically engineered ingredients.

According to Consumers Union, 95% of consumers in the U.S. want products containing genetically modified organisms to be labeled. Yet, in 1996 the FDA ruled that …

Tags: agriculture , food , genetically modified organisms , GMO , Monsanto , soy

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