Two leading trade associations representing the natural products and dietary supplements sectors have clarified their stance on GMO labeling this week, with the American Herbal Products Association (AHPA) favoring voluntary disclosure of the absence of...
Big interview, Gregory Jaffe, Director of Biotechnology, CSPI
The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) has made a name for itself by tackling the food industry’s big guns on everything from artery-furring entrees to misleading label claims. But where does it stand on genetically modified organisms (GMOs)?
The campaign for mandatory GMO labeling gained a further boost this week as the Maine House of Representatives voted 141-4 in favor of LD 718, a bill that would require foods made with ingredients from biotech crops to carry the label ‘Produced with Genetic...
While polls suggest most Americans are in favor of labeling genetically modified organisms (GMOs), the percentage that spontaneously mention GMOs when asked an unaided question about what additional information they would like to see on food labels is...
Increasing consumer pressure and potential state legislation mandating labeling are leading dietary supplement manufacturers to face up to the challenges of going non-GMO, but the situation is complex and suppliers have more work to do than many would...
The proliferation of proposed state GMO labeling laws is a means to an end, according to one longtime advocate. The ultimate goal is a federal law that would require GMO labeling across the US.
Big interview: Cathy Enright, EVP, food & agriculture, Biotechnology Industry Organization
When it comes to winning hearts and minds about the merits of genetically engineered ingredients (and whether to alert consumers to their presence on food labels), it’s fair to say that the biotech industry has not done a great job.
The Vermont House of Representatives has passed H.112, a bill requiring the labeling of all genetically engineered (GE) food sold in Vermont. However, there are plenty of hurdles ahead.
Association to hold seminar on 'The Non-GMO Future'
Dietary supplement manufacturers need to consider the implications of possible GMO labeling initiatives, with the issue more challenging than many think, says UNPA’s Loren Israelsen.
An Abbott Laboratories shareholder proposal to remove genetically-modified organisms (GMOs) from its natural products - including its Similac infant formula range - has been rejected, the company has revealed.
A bill requiring the labeling of GMO ingredients has been introduced at the federal level by Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-CA and Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-OR. Even though the bill’s chances of passage are uncertain, observers see it as a watershed moment.
The Natural Products Association (NPA) has called for all foods containing GMOs to be “accurately labeled under a national uniform standard so consumers can make educated decisions about foods they purchase”.
Organic Valley recently announced a plan to distribute more than $1 million in grants to fund research, education and advocacy on the production of organic foods. The grants have long term goals and a near term objective, with one of the biggest individual...
Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-OR is working on a bill that would make the labeling of foods containing genetically modified organisms a matter of federal law, a spokesperson confirmed yesterday. If passed, the bill, which is still in its early formative stages...
Supporters of a New Mexico Senate bill proposing mandatory labeling for genetically engineered food and feed say they are disappointed it died on the Senate floor last week, but remain confident that other states’ GMO labeling initiatives will succeed.
A Washington state ballot initiative that seeks to require GMO labeling is nearing its goal of 320,000 signatures, a goal organizers are confident that it will reach.
The dispute over whether Californian GMO labeling initiative Prop 37 will prevent manufacturers from using the term ‘natural’ on foods that contain no GMOs at all continues to rage, with Yes and No campaigns offering diametrically opposed interpretations...
Fooducate, a mobile app launched last year to help grocery store shoppers quickly look up nutrition and other product info via bar code scans, has added a GMO feature, the developers announced Monday.
The Natural Products Association (NPA) has come out against California’s Proposition 37 GMO labeling proposal, in part because it would prohibit members from marketing thousands of foods as ‘natural’ - even if they do not contain any genetically engineered...
Scoular has signed a distribution agreement with a Chinese manufacturer to secure a lower cost, non-GM supply of soy protein isolate for nutritional products and meats.
Iowa-based World Food Processing has purchased a stake in soy powder specialist, SoyLink Assets, for an undisclosed sum as the soy and pea player consolidates its soy operations.
Whole Foods Market has partnered with the Non-GMO Project to test for the presence of genetically modified (GM) ingredients in its private label products in order to independently verify them as GM-free.
Organic food has been one of the biggest trends in the food sector in recent years. FoodNavigator is seeking your views on whether organics have staying power, or whether consumers will lose interest over time.
It is a perversion of the 21st century that while affluent
societies continue the quest to slice the fat from their
increasingly obese populations, five million children die from
hunger each year, and more than 850m people go chronically...
Bush administration trade officials were not the only ones to
welcome China's decision to allow a raft of GM products from
biotech giant Monsanto. This week the American Soybean Association
hails the move as 'good news'.
If nothing else, the opening decade of the 21st century will go
down in the annals of time as the period the world went to war over
GMOs. When it comes to genetically modified organisms, passions run
deep and the path to reconciling...
Can the trend for foods with added health benefits turn the tide of
consumer cynicism towards genetically modified foodstuffs? US
researchers hypothesise that shoppers might just pay a premium for
GMOs if they are told of the potential...
This week findings from the long-awaited and widest ever study in
the UK on the impact of GM crops were made known. The focus may
well be on whether or not transgenic crops are a risk to wildlife,
but have the mixed results raised...
Agriculture ministers from around the world are gathering in
Sacramento, California today for the start of a three-day
conference on genetically engineered food and farming. With the
breakdown of discussions last week between the...
Despite tension on both sides of the Atlantic over genetically
modified foods, scientists in the US bring a note of optimism - and
common sense - to the debate, reporting this week that, for the
first time, parties on both sides of...
The food industry, consumers and politicians in Europe are alive to
the sound of three words - genetically modified organisms (GMOs).
Barely a day goes by without a reference to this controversial
aspect of biotechnology. And the...
'Impractical and unenforceable,' is how the European food
and drink association, the CIAA, last week condemned the new EU
legislation on the labelling of genetically modified organisms in
food. We spoke with Dr Geraldine...
Over 100 organic farms in the UK could be at risk of being tainted
by genetically modified crop test sites, according to research by
an organic farming group.
The Soil Association has called on the British government to follow
its experts' advice and protect organic crops from the next round
of GM field scale trial sites, which were announced yesterday.
A group of Canadian organic farmers launched a lawsuit against
biotech giants Monsanto Co. and Aventis SA on Thursday seeking
compensation for damages caused by genetically modified canola they
say is blowing into their fields.
Fears over genetically modified foods may prevail in the minds of
the European consumer but recent research from the European
Commission suggests that they are as safe as their non-gmo
neighbours, and even safer.
Lower crude soyoil prices are not tempting west European consumers,
who continue to prefer other soft oils that do not contain
genetically modified organisms (GMOs), dealers said on Friday.
Swiss healthcare group Novartis AG confirmed on Thursday
allegations from environmental group Greenpeace that some samples
of baby food it sold in the Philippines contained genetically
modified soy.
Consumer and interest groups criticised the Thai Food and Drug
Administration's draft regulations on the labelling of food
products containing genetically modified organisms for benefiting
manufacturers over consumers.
The latest campaign against genetically modified foods took place
in Canada on Tuesday when consumer groups, scientists and farmers
joined forces to demand the federal government postpone approval of
genetically modified wheat.
