Posted by Pueblo Chieftain Reporter on January 4, 2010 at 8:01 PM under
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Soy in Illinois prison diets prompts lawsuit over health effects
CHICAGO — Soy-enhanced chili mac, turkey patties with soy, soy-studded country gravy, soy-blend hot dogs, soy-spiked sloppy joes, Polish sausages packed with soy, soy chicken patties.
These aren't items from the latest vegetarian diet, but rather dishes served over a week at Danville Correctional Center, according to a recent menu.
Posted by Huang Jingjing on January 4, 2010 at 7:52 PM under
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Genetically modified rice hard for some to swallow
Source: Global Times
[02:37 December 24 2009]
Comments
By Huang Jingjing
The approval of two types of genetically engineered pest resistant rice for widespread production in China has generated safety concerns among experts.
Posted by Tom Beal on January 4, 2010 at 12:48 PM under
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UA researcher says crop pests abroad resistant to controls
UA researcher says finding poses no immediate threat
By Tom Beal
ARIZONA DAILY STAR
DID YOU KNOW
The genetically introduced toxin that kills the pink bollworm — the principal pest in Southwestern cotton fields — has proved so effective that experts are predicting the bug's eradication in the near future.
Posted by Rudy Ruitenberg on January 4, 2010 at 12:44 PM under
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Germany Finds Unauthorized Biotech Rice in Chinese Vermicelli
By Rudy Ruitenberg
Dec. 22 (Bloomberg) -- Germany reported finding unauthorized genetically modified rice known as Bt 63 in vermicelli from China, a notification to the European Union’s food alert system showed.
The biotech rice was found in checks in September, the
Posted by Julie Masis on January 4, 2010 at 12:40 PM under
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More herbicide use reported on genetically modified crops
A report has found that farmers are using more herbicides on genetically engineered soybeans, corn, and cotton because of resistant weeds.
By Julie Masis Contributor to the Christian Science Monitor
posted December 21, 2009 at 12:02 pm EST
A report released by the Organic Center found that the amount of herbicides used on genetically engineered crops has increased in the past 10 years, not decreased as might be expected.
Posted by Administrator on December 19, 2009 at 6:40 PM under
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County group is holding film festival
GMO-Free Monterey County is hosting a film festival to raise awareness about genetically modified foods from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Jan. 9 at the Cannery Row IMAX Theater, 640 Wave St., Monterey.
Four films will be screened, followed by a panel discussion exploring the moral, health and economic implications of the proliferation of genetically engineered crops.
The Philippines may be able to put in the market by 2011-2012 the genetically modified (GM) delayed ripening papaya that doubles with a ring spot virus (RSV)-resistant trait even as private firms like East West Seed Co. have been inquiring on the commercial readiness of the tropical fruit.
The delayed ripening and RSV-resistant papaya just needs to undergo at least one field trial which will take one season or one year’s planting before it is finally put into the market, according to Dr.
17-12-2009 11:45Parliament introduces mandatory labeling of GMO food products The Verkhovna Rada has introduced a mandatory labeling of foodstuffs containing genetically modified organisms (GMO).
A total of 375 out of 450 MPs have voted in favor of the law on foodstuffs safety and quality (regarding reporting to citizens about GMO food products).
Monsanto tops poll of firms accused over climate change
FRANK McDONALD in Copenhagen
MONSANTO, THE US multinational chiefly known for its aggressive marketing of genetically modified (GM) crops, has emerged as the surprising winner of the “Angry Mermaid” awards for business lobbyists against taking action on climate change.
Presented here yesterday by author and activist Naomi Klein, the premier award went to Monsanto in a poll conducted mainly on the internet.
Bulgaria Parliament Set to Ease Laws on GM Crop Cultivation
Monday, December 14, 2009
The Bulgarian Parliament is set to allow a much wider use of genetically modified crops (GMOs) in the country, after the Commission for Environment and Water approved a change in the law on GMOs.
After a lengthy debate the Parliamentary Commission decided to harmonize the legislation on GMOs with the EU requirements.
All discussions of genetically modified crops (Editorial, 4 December) should recognise that there are two basic types of GM. Agronomic GM seeks to improve the growing properties of the plant, for example making it weed- or pest-resistant.
The agriculture world has drastically changed over the past 15 years through genetically modified seeds, and now corn is going to change again in 2010. Since 1996, corn seeds containing the bacteria protein, Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) have become farmer's staple corn seed because it has a natural insecticide built into its DNA that protects the plant against many insects, including the European Corn Borer.
LARAMIE — Research conducted by University of Wyoming Professor Paul Johnson and others demonstrates that genetically modified tadpoles work well for rapidly detecting water pollution.
In an article published in Environmental Science and Technology, the scientists demonstrated that African clawed frog tadpoles “light up” in response to a pollutant, and can indicate the presence of several chemicals at the same time.
Students Samantha Butenas, Brian Noland, Kyle Plyman and Mark Wagner examined the effects of genetically modified organisms on wildlife around the world.
"While genetically modified organisms (GMOs) have allowed for a new paradigm of development for agriculture, controversy remains as to the safety and potential adverse effects of GMOs on wildlife.
Insect populations in particular, whose destruction remains the object of many GMOs, have rapidly developed resistance to GMOs and the pesticides required for their maintenance.
BANGALORE: ‘‘Scientists have become pawns at the hands of the corporates '' said noted agricultural scientist and food, trade policy expert Devinder Sharma.
Genetically modified seed prices are rocketing and, with further increases for 2010, growers are starting to question the value of GM crops, according to the Organic Centre USA.
Charles Benbrook, chief scientist at The Organic Centre said GM seed prices had risen so sharply they were starting to rival fertilisers and agrochemicals as the most expensive crop input.
MONSANTO has hit out at a report from a controversial American academic which found that rather than reduce pesticide use levels, genetically modified crops actually use higher rates of chemical, and have led to severe problems with glyphosate resistance throughout North America.
With the hunt for alternative sources of Omega-3 in full swing, Canadian health officials are considering genetically modified soybeans adapted to produce the essential fatty acids.
Omega-3 fatty acids, most commonly found in fish, are important for cardiovascular health and brain development in humans.
For that reason, food guides in countries like Canada recommend people eat fatty fish twice a week.
However, this advice is unsustainable, researchers claim.
China’s GMO Rice, Corn Approval May Boost Food Supply (Update2)
Dec. 1 (Bloomberg) -- China, the world’s biggest grain producer, has approved strains of genetically modified rice and corn that may help ensure food supplies in a country facing shortages of water and farmland.
The move “has huge implications because this is the first time a major grain producer is endorsing the use of GMO technology in a food staple,” said Zhu Zhen, biotechnology professor at the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
China Approves First GM 'Phytase' Corn
USAgNet - 11/30/2009
The authorities have given approval to the world's first genetically modified phytase maize to Origin Agritech.
Origin Agritech Limited, a biotech company based in Beijing, has received the Biosafety Certificate from the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture as a final approval for commercial approval of the world's first genetically modified phytase corn.
Church opposes GM foods
Thursday, 26th November 2009. 4:48pm
By: George Conger.
The Church of South India (CSI) has urged its government to ban the cultivation of Genetically-modified (GM) foods in India.
On October 15, the Indian government’s Genetic Engineer Approval Committee (GEAC) authorized the commercial cultivation of Bt brinjal, the trade name for genetically modified eggplant, or aubergine.
Fans of natural skin care should be able to find out exactly what is in the foods they are consuming and whether or not they contain genetically modified (GM) elements, according to one expert.
Emma Hockridge, policy manager for The Soil Association, said that the organisation is campaigning for clearer labelling of produce because people want transparency from food companies.
Monsanto has dropped its push for approval from European regulators on two types of "second generation" genetically modified seeds.
The company informed the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) that it was withdrawing its approval request for GM maize LY038 and the stacked variety LYo38 x MON810, both of which were designed for the express purpose of accelerating the growth rate of animals.
Cultivation of genetically modified plants: more or less pesticide?
(17.11.2009) Two current studies on the environmental influence of genetically modified (GM) plants arrive at differing results. According to one study, significantly more pesticide has been applied to fields since the cultivation of genetically modified plants began in 1996.
Debate: Chickens fed GM feed means GM birds 27 Nov 2009
An attack on poultry producer Inghams Enterprises could be based on a technicality with some scientific evidence indicating birds fed on genetically modified feed are not modified themselves, reports The National Business Review.
The Commerce Commission recently issued Inghams with a warming claiming it risked breaching the Fair Trading Act through false advertising. The company advertised its products as being GM-free, contained no GM ingredients, no added hormones or artificial colours.
* Approval follows phytase corn clearance last week
* Corn, rice approvals are first for grains in China (Adds background, detail, quote)
By Niu Shuping and Tom Miles
BEIJING, Nov 27 (Reuters) - China, the world's largest rice producer and consumer, has approved a locally-developed strain of genetically-modified rice, paving the way for large-scale production in 2 to 3 years, Chinese scientists said on Friday.
Opponents of GM crops are motivated by "emotion" not scientific reason
Opponents of GM food are motivated by “emotion” and “ideology” rather than a “reasoned” scientific approach, according to a major report by a government funded quango.
By Andrew Pierce and John Bingham
Published: 5:37PM GMT 25 Nov 2009
The study, which states one of its aims as helping people to "change their views" on the technology, came on the day a major review was launched into the restrictions on GM crops.
Chickens fed GM feed do not produce GM meat, scientist says
Kelly Gregor | Tuesday November 24 2009 - 12:04pm
A very public attack on poultry producer Inghams Enterprises could all be based on a technicality with some scientific evidence indicating birds fed on genetically manipulated feed are not modified themselves.
France's highest court has ruled that U.S. agrochemical giant Monsanto had not told the truth about the safety of its best-selling weed-killer, Roundup. The court confirmed an earlier judgment that Monsanto had falsely advertised its herbicide as "biodegradable" and claimed it "left the soil clean." Roundup is the world's best-selling herbicide.
French environmental groups had brought the case in 2001 on the basis that glyphosate, Roundup's main ingredient, is classed as "dangerous for the environment" by the European Union.
Report claims farm chemical use has soared because of GM crops
Friday, 20/11/2009
A report from an organic organisation in the United States says the use of chemicals like pesticide and herbicide has soared because of genetically modified crops.
The Commerce Commission has warned poultry producer Inghams Enterprises it risked breaching the Fair Trading Act with claims that its chickens contained no genetically modified (GM) ingredients.
The commission said today it had completed an investigation into allegations that claims made in consumer and trade magazines and on television between January 2008 and June 2009 were false or misleading under the Fair Trading Act.
Nigeria: 'U.S. Suit Confirms GM Rice Contamination in The Country'
Nasir Imam With Agency Report
12 November 2009
Abuja — The legal action instituted against Bayer CropScience AG by farmers in the United States for allegedly contaminating their farms with Genetically Modified (GM) rice seeds in 2006 is a further confirmation of the validity of tests carried out on rice samples collected by the Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN) in Nigeria and other West African countries within the same period which showed contamination.
Experts urge for GM-free Karnataka
BS Reporter / Chennai/ Mysore November 12, 2009, 0:41 IST
“We do not want GM (genetically modified) crops which can prove apocalyptic for mankind. Let us say never to Bt-brinjal”. The declaration, along with the demand that state government declare Karnataka GM-free, was made at a state-level conference on genetic engineering, farming and food in Mysore on Saturday.
The conference, jointly held by the Institution of Engineers, Mysore Local Centre, Mysore Grahaka Parishat and Deccan Development Society, Hyderabad, wherein experts placed views for and against genetic engineering (GE).
BRUSSELS, Nov 13 (Reuters) - EU ambassadors failed to approve a genetically-modified maize made by Swiss firm Syngenta (SYNN.VX: Quote, Profile, Research,
Households for peace and wellness: Work for a GMO-free zone
Nov 11 2009, 4:34 PM ·UPDATED
BY LINDA C. REDMAN
For the Auburn Reporter
Did you know that more than 60 percent of the food in a supermarket in this country contains cancer-causing genetically engineered ingredients masquerading as “food.”
If these products – corn, soy, sugar, cotton/cottonseed oil, canola oil and papaya—are not labeled “organic,” then they are probably genetically engineered.
Nigeria: 'U.S. Suit Confirms GM Rice Contamination in The Country'
Nasir Imam With Agency Report
12 November 2009
Abuja — The legal action instituted against Bayer CropScience AG by farmers in the United States for allegedly contaminating their farms with Genetically Modified (GM) rice seeds in 2006 is a further confirmation of the validity of tests carried out on rice samples collected by the Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN) in Nigeria and other West African countries within the same period which showed contamination.
THE removal of several bread labels from supermarket shelves in Denmark this week due to traces of genetically modified grains has not shifted the mood of the country's government to push ahead with research into the highly controversial crops.
In 1982 entry, corrects reference to Monsanto and Times Beach controversy
(Reuters) - Over its 108-year history, Monsanto Co, the world's largest seed company, has evolved from primarily an industrial chemical concern into a pure agricultural products company.
(Reuters) - While Monsanto Co is considered a leader in research, development and marketing of genetically modified crops, a handful of other corporate giants are also staking a claim to feeding the world with biotech corn, soy and other crops.
The companies all say they are focused on products that will increase crop yields, aid farmers and offer better nutrition for consumers. Here's a look at some of the top players:
THE release and use of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) remain controversial and there is still a debate going on regarding their risks and adverse impacts on health and the environment.
GMOs are regulated internationally and at the national level, as evidenced by the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, which has been ratified by 157 countries, including Malaysia.
by Zephyr Faegen, citizen journalist See all articles by this author Email this author
(NaturalNews) The Mystery of Morgellons disease has been debated for years by medical professionals and lay persons who have dedicated their time to studying this cryptic and debilitating condition.
THE world’s farmers and growers have been set a monumental challenge – they must produce as much food over the next 50 years as they have during 10,000 years of civilisation.
Only then will there be enough food for a population set to reach 9 billion by 2050 says the UN.
Campaign group finds traces of unauthorised GM linseed in loaf of Marks & Spencer bread and calls on Government food watchdog to issue public alert
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has defended itself after failing to alert consumers to the presence of unapproved genetically modified food in UK supermarkets.
A plan to grow paddocks of genetically modified grass created to cut the greenhouse gases produced by cows is in the pipeline at Crown-owned company AgResearch.
The proposal has already provoked criticism from anti-GM groups, who say outdoor trials could jeopardise New Zealand's reputation as a GM-free dairy exporter.
Nope, it’s not a spooky tale left over from Halloween. After word got out that Canada’s flax seed crops had been cross-contaminated with a genetically modified variety, the country’s entire flax industry is in peril.
When the European market got wind of the contamination, they blocked all Canadian flax imports. According to an article in the Globe and Mail, flax prices have fallen from around $11 per bushel to $2 or $3.
Research and Markets: This Global Outlook Series on Genetic Engineering Provides a Collection of Market Briefs and Concise Summaries of Research Findings
Thu Nov 5, 2009 6:24am EST
DUBLIN--(Business Wire)--
Research and Markets
(http://www.
As many as 25 percent of the American farmers growing genetically engineered corn are no longer complying with federal rules intended to maintain the resistance of the crops to damage from insects, according to a report Thursday from an advocacy group.
SEVİM SONGÜN
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News Wednesday, November 4, 2009
New regulations regarding controls for genetically modified organisms, or GMOs, are “insufficient and imprecise,” according to experts.
Activists, meanwhile, are up in arms against allowing genetically modified food, or GM-food, in Turkey, due to the unpredictable results on human health and nature.
Time for food manufacturers to provide info on GM products
The link between soft drinks and genetically modified (GM) foods is just one facet of the wide use of GM crops in food products. It is estimated that about half of the grains imported by Japan are GM foods whose safety has been confirmed. While GM crops are not used in such products as natto (fermented soybeans), tofu and snack foods, GM-derived cooking-oil, as well as beef and eggs from cows and chickens that have been given GM feed are already on the market.
A Japanese firm has announced it is set to sell the world's first genetically-modified blue rose.
There is no natural blue pigmentation in the flower to allow a blue rose to be genetically bred naturally.
But in 2004, a company managed to develop a natural blue rose by splicing the gene that leads to the synthesis of the blue pigment Delphinidin in petunias.
What Happens When Wild Boars And Fallow Deer Snack On Genetically Modified Corn?
ScienceDaily (Oct. 28, 2009) — The German Federal Agency for Nature Conservation funded a study to address two controversial questions: When wild boar and deer, traditional menu items in the fall, eat genetically modified corn, do transgenic residues accumulate in their meat? Do they spread GM corn via their feces? The answer in each case is no, according to scientists at TUM, the Technische Universitaet Muenchen.
Bill Gates may be the world's richest person--and also the most generous, as measured by amount of philanthropy--but we shouldn't assume this makes him the most perspicacious.
Posted by Green Muze on November 3, 2009 at 12:48 PM under
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Ireland Bans Gm Crops
Ireland has been making eco-headlines of late for taking the unusual step of banning the cultivation of genetically modified crops. The Green Isle now joins a growing number of countries that have opted to ban the growing of GM crops including Japan, Egypt and Germany.
GM Free Ireland reports that the Irish Government will now ban the cultivation of all GM crops and introduce a voluntary GM-free label for food – including meat, poultry, eggs, fish, crustaceans, and dairy produce made without the use of GM animal feed.
In a somewhat controversial statement made on Wednesday, England’s elite science academy, The Royal Society, said that world must utilize genetically modified crops in order to feed a rapidly growing global population and reduce the environmental damage of large-scale farming.
The academy’s report referred to the “grand challenge” of feeding an additional 2.
CHENNAI: A week after the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee, the biotechnology regulator of India, gave its nod to cultivate Bt brinjal, activists and farmers under the banner of Tamil Nadu Women’s Collective staged a demonstration in the city demanding a complete ban on the crop in the country.
EU farm ministers refuse to okay new GM maize strains
(AFP) – Oct 19, 2009
LUXEMBOURG — European Union farm ministers refused to give their seal of approval on Monday to plans to allow the import of genetically-modified maize from US growers, diplomats said.
During a meeting of European Union agriculture ministers in Luxembourg dominated by crisis in the dairy sector, nations were unable to agree on proposals to greenlight the latest batch of so-called 'Frankenstein foods.
French scientist Gilles-Eric Séralini unmasked the dangers of genetically modified brinjal, almost approved for commercial production in India. He shared with Savvy Soumya Misra his findings on Bt brinjal and Roundup Ready soybean
On the data submitted on Bt brinjal by Mahyco for approval from the Indian government
The data submitted to the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (geac) of the Union environment ministry is not valid; it has not been signed by the scientist who conducted the tests.
Too late to shut the door on GM foods
Consumers said no to the GM farming giants a decade ago, but that didn’t stop millions of tonnes of their soya entering the food chain
A new study done by Russian scientists suggests that Genetically Modified Food may cause long term sterility, that is, sterility in second and third generations.
DYERSBURG, Tenn. — For 15 years, Eddie Anderson, a farmer, has been a strict adherent of no-till agriculture, an environmentally friendly technique that all but eliminates plowing to curb erosion and the harmful runoff of fertilizers and pesticides.
The world's biggest seedcompany Monsanto Co. is currently mulling over a probable price cut on genetically modified (GM) seeds to boost the acceptability of the new seeds in the globalmarket.
The CSIRO hopes to plant its first trials of genetically modified barley in Western Australia within weeks.
The scientific organisation planted trial sites of GM wheat and barley in NSW last year and has applied to the Office of the Gene Technology Regulator for permission to extend those trials into the west this year.
On April 1, China Newsweek reported widespread cultivation of illegal genetically modified pest-resistant rice in Hubei Province.
The Chinese Ministry of Agriculture had approved the genetically modified organism (GMO) security certificate for two types of rice and one type of corn for experimental use only in August 2009.
Posted by Administrator on April 10, 2010 at 3:21 PM under
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Genetically Modified Flowers To Have Long Lasting Aroma
Flowers, due to global warming are losing their fragrance and the only way out is to introduce genetically modified flowers. Making genetically modified flowers, as the only solution, has been suggested by Dr. Abdul Latif Mohamad, the Science and Technology Professor at University Kebangsaan, Malaysia.
Posted by Administrator on April 10, 2010 at 11:12 AM under
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Bulgaria bans genetically modified crops
http://www.upi.com/Top_News/International/2010/03/18/Bulgaria-bans-genetically-modified-crops/UPI-71311268924693/
SOFIA, Bulgaria, March 18 (UPI) -- The cultivation of
Monsanto has revealed that a common insect pest has developed resistance to its flagship genetically modified (GM) product in India. The agricultural biotechnology leader says it "detected unusual survival" of pink bollworms that fed on cotton containing the Cry1Ac gene from the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis, which codes for a protein that's toxic to many insect pests.
Posted by Administrator on April 8, 2010 at 10:01 PM under
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The Scary Truth about Genetically Engineered Insect Control
Facts You Must Know…
By Jeffrey M. Smith
The biotech industry is fond of saying that they offer genetically modified (GM) crops that resist pests, conjuring up the image of insects staying away from GM crop fields.
But "resisting pests" is just a euphemism, for "contains its own built-in pesticide." When bugs take a bite of the GM plant, the toxin splits open their stomach and kills them!
The idea that we consume that same toxic pesticide in every bite is hardly appetizing!
But the biotech companies and the Environmental Protection Agency-which regulates plant produced pesticides-tell us not to worry.
South African farmers suffered millions of dollars in lost income when 82,000 hectares of genetically-manipulated corn (maize) failed to produce hardly any seeds.The plants look lush and healthy from the outside. Monsanto has offered compensation.
(NaturalNews) A report published in the International Journal of Microbiology has verified once again that Monsanto's genetically modified (GM) crops are causing severe health problems.
Posted by Dr. Mercola on March 30, 2010 at 11:03 PM under
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What are Acceptable Alternatives to Agave?
If you are craving something sweet, your best bet is to reach for an apple or a pear. And if you give yourself a sugar holiday for even a couple of weeks, you will be amazed at how much those cravings will decrease. But be sure and count the grams of fructose and keep your total fructose from fruit below 15 grams per day as you are sure to consume plenty of "hidden" fructose in the other foods you will be eating.
You can use the table below to help you count your fructose grams.
Posted by Dr. Mercola on March 30, 2010 at 10:54 PM under
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Many people interested in staying healthy have switched to agave as a safer "natural" sweetener. They want to avoid well documented dangerous sweeteners like HFCS (high fructose corn syrup) but are unaware that agave is actually WORSE than HFCS.
So just what is agave?
Blue agave is an exotic plant growing in the rich volcanic soil of Mexico under a hot tropical sun, boasting a stately flower stem that blooms only once in its lifetime.
Posted by Linda Young on March 28, 2010 at 11:56 PM under
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Watchdog Group Applauds Court Ruling Against Company For Genetically Modifying U.S. Rice Supplies
Linda Young - AHN Editor
Brussels, Belgium (AHN) - A non-profit European watchdog of multi-national corporations said Wednesday that it welcomed an Arkansas court ruling finding that German corporation Bayer CropScience had 'intentionally' contaminated United States rice supplies.
Posted by E. Huff on March 28, 2010 at 11:52 PM under
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Scientists reveal negative impact of Roundup Ready GM crops
by E. Huff, staff writer
(NaturalNews) Five studies published in the October 2009 issue of The European Journal of Agronomy reveal the negative impacts of using Monsanto's Roundup herbicide, a formula developed specifically for the company's line of genetically modified (GM) "Roundup Ready" crops.
Posted by Carey Gillam on March 28, 2010 at 11:22 PM under
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Lawsuit filed over GMO crops in nature refuge
Carey Gillam KANSAS CITY Tue Mar 2, 2010 2:23pm EST (Reuters) -
Environmentalists filed a federal lawsuit against the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service on Monday accusing the service of illegally allowing farmers to grow genetically modified crops in a national wildlife refuge. GREEN BUSINESS The groups said up to 80 other national wildlife refuges across the United States are now growing genetically engineered crops and could be vulnerable to similar legal action.
Posted by Ranjan Bhaduri on March 28, 2010 at 11:08 PM under
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Washington, Mar 13, (THAINDIAN NEWS) The United States Food And Drug Administration has asked consumer product giant Procter and Gamble for Pringles recall. The company in accordance to the orders issued by the Food And Drug Administration has promised to recall all of the 80,000 Pringles Potato Snack packets. It is believed that all those packets of Pringles Potato snacks contains contaminated salmonella which is a genetically modified preservative that is prohibited in Japan.
Posted by PRAVDA Reporter on March 28, 2010 at 11:04 PM under
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People eating genetically modified food may have rat-short lifespan
Leading expert of the Russian Academy of Sciences' Institute for higher nervous activity and neurophysiology, Doctor of Biology Irina Yermakova, conducted an experiment on rats. The rodents are traditionally used for important experiments as they have morphology and biochemistry resembling the human ones.
Posted by UC Santa Barbara on March 22, 2010 at 12:55 PM under
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Physicists show theory of quantum mechanics applies to the motion of large objects
(Nanowerk News) Researchers at UC Santa Barbara have provided the first clear demonstration that the theory of quantum mechanics applies to the mechanical motion of an object large enough to be seen by the naked eye.
Posted by Martin Hickman and Genevieve Roberts on March 22, 2010 at 12:11 PM under
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Fury as EU approves GM potato Monday, March 08, 2010 08:00 IST Martin Hickman and Genevieve Roberts
The introduction of a genetically modified (GM) potato in Europe risks the development of human diseases that fail to respond to antibiotics, it was claimed.
Posted by KIRAN CHUG on March 8, 2010 at 12:06 AM under
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Genetically engineered cows could be slaughtered by AgResearch if an application to create more animals with the aim of producing a medicinal super-milk is rejected.
Hearings will begin on Monday into the Crown research institute's application to mix the makeup of cows, sheep and goats with human DNA, and the outcome could have implications for up to 200 cows the agency has already created.
Posted by Aaron Saenz on March 8, 2010 at 12:05 AM under
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Ever wanted a rose that smelled like bananas? Maybe a petunia that reeked of root beer? Researchers at the University of Florida Gainesville have isolated 13 genes in flowers that key for the blossom’s fragrance. These same genes hold the secrets to improving the tastes of some fruits.
Posted by Communications Staff on February 15, 2010 at 9:39 PM under
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Studying heart failure of mice and men
By Communications Staff Monday, February 1, 2010
Scientists at Robarts Research Institute, working in collaboration with researchers in Brazil, have used a unique genetically-modified mouse line to reveal a previously unidentified mechanism contributing to heart failure.
Posted by Kalyan Ray on February 15, 2010 at 9:02 PM under
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Genetic marriage
GM tomato gives 45-day shelf life
Kalyan Ray, New Delhi, Feb 1, DHNS:
Here is some good news for housewives: A new variety of tomato, which will not rot even after 45 days but remain meaty and succulent, its smooth skin enclosing a jelly of golden seeds and dripping crimson juice, will soon be available with your locality vegetable vendor.
Posted by The Sophia Echo Staff on February 2, 2010 at 12:56 AM under
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About 300 people protested in the centre of Sofia against proposed amendments to the Genetically Modified Foods Act (GMFA) on January 31 2010, Bulgarian news agency BTA said.
Protests were held in front of the National Library, under the motto "Clean food, a healthy earth! Bulgaria GM foods free." Later, protesters marched to the buildings of Bulgarian National Television and the Bulgarian Parliament.
Posted by Guenn Johnsen-Gentry on January 31, 2010 at 10:15 PM under
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Do we know what's in school lunches?
There's been much recent controversy among many scientists as to the claims made by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration that genetically modified foods (commonly called GMOs or GMs) are 100 percent safe. They are banned in many other countries outside of the U.S., and we have never performed safety tests on them in this country. Or I should say, we are the test population.
In light of the controversy, I called the Shasta County Office of Education to ask what the official position on GMOs in school lunches was.
Posted by PAUL VOOSEN on January 31, 2010 at 10:12 PM under
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January 29, 2010
USDA Weighs Plan to Bring GM Eucalyptus to Southeast Pinelands
By PAUL VOOSEN of Greenwire
Genetic engineering is coming to the forests.
While the practice of splicing foreign DNA into food crops has become common in corn and soy, few companies or researchers have dared to apply genetic engineering to plants that provide an essential strut of the U.
Posted by Nanowerk News on January 20, 2010 at 9:31 PM under
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Supermarkets urged to lead debate on nanotechnology in foods
(Nanowerk News) Big-name retailers like Tesco and Carrefour should help prepare consumers for innovations in the food sector, according to the top civil servant in the EU executive's directorate for health and consumer protection.
Posted by MARIA CHENG on January 20, 2010 at 9:24 PM under
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Scientists chew on possibilities for engineered meat
They have not tasted the pork made in petri dishes, but see tantalizing potential.
BY MARIA CHENG THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
LONDON -- Call it pork in a petri dish -- a technique to turn pig stem cells into strips of meat that scientists say could one day offer a green alternative to raising livestock and help alleviate world hunger.
Posted by Robert Sietsema on January 14, 2010 at 9:05 PM under
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Eco-Scandal: Compostable Greenware Is Made from Genetically Modified Corn
By Robert Sietsema, Thursday, Jan. 14 2010 @ 12:58PM
Eco-conscious diners have been patting themselves on the back recently for patronizing places that use environmentally-friendly "Greenware," but maybe we're not being as virtuous as we think.
Posted by Frank Morris on January 12, 2010 at 2:15 PM under
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Monsanto GMO Ignites Big Seed War
by Frank Morris
January 12, 2010
Even though deep snowdrifts cover his fields in eastern Kansas, Luke Ulrich, a corn and soybean farmer here, is thinking about spring. It's time to buy seed again, but hundreds of seed companies have gone under in the past two decades.
Posted by Mike Abram on January 11, 2010 at 1:43 PM under
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Monsanto hails GM launches as 'game-changers'
Mike Abram
Monday 11 January 2010 03:43
Launches of genetically modified crop traits in North America mark the beginning of an explosion of high-impact products, leading biotech firm Monsanto says.
Posted by Claire Robinson and Jonathan Matthews on January 11, 2010 at 1:39 PM under
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Was 2009 the year the world turned against GM?
Claire Robinson and Jonathan Matthews
11th January, 2010
Despite promising the world in 2009, biotech corporations have increasingly raised the hackles of scientists and citizens worldwide
2009 was a year in which the biotech industry, Gates and their US Administration allies did everything in their power to drive the world down the GM road, but it was also a year marked by remarkable global resistance.
Posted by William Surman on January 8, 2010 at 11:34 AM under
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Government is 'dangerously deluded' on GM
8 January 2010 | By William Surman
THE Government is ‘dangerously deluded’ if it believes genetically modified crops will solve the world’s food security issues, members of the breakaway Oxford Real Farming Conference warned.
Posted by Donna Gordon Blankinship on January 8, 2010 at 10:45 AM under
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Expert in bio-genetics is new head of agriculture program for Gates Foundation
By Donna Gordon Blankinship (CP) –Jan 8, 2010
SEATTLE — A man who has focused much of his career on agriculture technology, including development of genetically-modified seeds, was named Friday as the new head of agriculture development for the Bill&Melinda Gates Foundation.
Posted by Dr. M.S.Swaminathan on January 5, 2010 at 1:58 PM under
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Genetic modification needs monitoring says Dr. Swaminathan
The world–renowned scientist Dr. M.S.Swaminathan has stressed the need to set up a national regulatory body to mitigate the anxiety caused by genetically modified agricultural produce.
Posted by Mary Elizabeth Hurn on January 4, 2010 at 8:02 PM under
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Whole Foods debuts first Facebook app, promoting nonprofits
Mary Elizabeth Hurn
December 29 2009
Publish Date: Sunday,18 October, 2009, at 11:36 PM Doha Time
By Felicity Lawrence/London
Ten years ago, when the genetic modification of food was first offered to the British public, it responded with a resounding no, and politicians and the food industry said GM would not be foisted on reluctant consumers.
Opensourcing GM flowers: “Biopiracy” in the name of art
Imagine a do-it-yourself genetic piracy kit where you could clone genetically modified (GM) plants in your own kitchen and, if you were crazy or creative enough, set them free. Well that’s exactly what the Common Flowers / Flower Commons project has set out to do: revert flower cuttings into their genetically modified origins by transforming cuttings with basic kitchen utensils to create living flowers.
Britain will starve without GM crops, says major report
A new row over genetically modified foods being introduced into our shops has broken out after a Royal Society report recommended GM crops should be grown in Britain.
By Robert Mendick and Patrick Sawer
Published: 7:00AM BST 18 Oct 2009
Oilseed rape, one of the four main commercial genetically modified cropsPhoto: EPA
The study concluded that GM crops are needed to prevent a catastrophic food crisis by 2050.
Vilsack Mistakenly Pitched "GMOs-Feed-The-World" to an Audience of Experts--Oops
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack was getting lots of appreciative applause and head nods from the packed hall at the Community Food Security Coalition conference today, held in Des Moines, Iowa.
by Hesh Goldstein, citizen journalist See all articles by this author Email this author
(NaturalNews) Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are the latest travesty thrust upon an unsuspecting public by the greedy, control minded corporations that see the Almighty Sign ($$) as the ultimate in achieving the highest "bottom line" possible.
Indian regulators have for the first time approved the introduction of a genetically-modified (GM) food crop.
The new variety of aubergine has been developed by one of India's largest seed companies, Mahyco.
It says the GM vegetable is more resistant to natural pests, but anti-GM groups oppose its introduction, saying that there are serious health concerns.
However it is expected to be approved by the Indian government, which already allows GM cotton to be grown.
Genetically modified food is dangerous By Jeffrey M Smith
All genetically modified crops, in fact, should be considered high-risk. Irrespective of which gene you insert, the process of genetic engineering itself results in massive collateral damage within the plants’ natural DNA.
(NaturalNews) The active ingredient of the popular herbicide Roundup, widely used on lawns and genetically modified (GM) crops worldwide, causes birth defects of the brain, heart and intestines even in minuscule doses, Argentinean researchers have found.
"The observed deformations are consistent and systematic," said lead researcher Andres Carrasco, director of the Laboratory of Molecular Embryology at the University of Buenos Aires.
Nestlé India commits to provide GM-free food now & in future: Greenpeace India Monday, October 12, 2009 08:00 IST Mamata Chanda, New Delhi
Greenpeace India, an international Non-Government Organisation (NGO), has delivered anti-Genetically Modified messages on behalf of more than 28,000 consumers across India demanding that Nestlé India commit to providing GM-free food now and in future.
GENETICALLY modified canola has jumped containment lines and "contaminated" a commercial beehive in western Victoria, prompting claims that people are not being told enough about what they eat.
GENETICALLY modified crops will be used ‘to a much greater extent’ over the coming years after the UN issued a rallying cry to farmers to boost production by increasing crop yields without cultivating more land.
A discussion paper put forward by the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) last week said a boost in production was essential to feed a global population set to increase by 2.
Cocoon, the fish and meat maker, is the winner of the Electrolux Design Lab 2009 competition. The appliance will supposedly grow meat and fish from prepackaged “genetically modified” meat and fish. Of course, we are talking about something in the future and not something that is expected to be sold anytime soon in your local Wal-Mart.
The design lab competition ultimate winner was Swedish design student
SHANE MCLEOD: A group of concerned famers in country New South Wales claims to have found genetically modified canola plants growing on the side of the road, just metres from their non-GM fields.
The farmers who want to remain GM free are worried their international reputation is being ruined because the GM canola seeds could easily blow into their crops.
The company that produces most GM canola in Australia denies it's a breach of bio-security and says the chance of the plants infiltrating the farms is low.
Science Matters: More science needed on effects of genetically modifying food crops
By David Suzuki With Faisal Moola (CP) – 3 days ago
In gearing up for the 2010 release of its super-genetically modified corn called "SmartStax," agricultural-biotechnology giant Monsanto is using an advertising slogan that asks, "Wouldn't it be better?" But can we do better than nature, which has taken millennia to develop the plants we use for food?
The powerful agriculture biotech industry is dismissive of Smith’s assertions. It portrays Smith as a scaremonger whose claims about the health risks are short on scientific credibility. But this is exactly the point that Smith makes in his even more damning second book, Genetic Roulette: that there is very little science to prove that GM foods are harmless, as the industry claims. On the other, he lists 65 known health risks from GM foods, all of them drawn from well-documented scientific studies and emerging evidence from across the world.
VietNamNet Bridge –Vietnam’s Government is drafting a decree governing the safety of biotechnology-based foods, so the labeling of genetically modified foods is expected to start from 2015, according to the HCMC Biotechnology Center.
Judge overturns deregulation of genetically modified sugarbeets amid Oregon concerns
By Scott Learn, The Oregonian
September 22, 2009, 4:46PM
Regulators improperly granted agricultural giant Monsanto permission to freely sell genetically engineered sugarbeets and seeds, a federal judge has ruled in a lawsuit that sprung from the Willamette Valley.
Lagos — "With the global movement towards cleaner, renewable energy sources assuming not just greater urgency but becoming an obsession, the country must position itself to pursue all available forms of non-petroleum export earnings."
It is imperative that there should be a holistic and detailed debate on the benefits and safety of genetically modified crops (GMCs) and determine whether their formal adoption for human consumption in Nigeria will be in the national interest.
UCS Study Says Genetically Modified Crops Have Failure to Yield
by Aaron Turpen, citizen journalist See all articles by this author Email this author
(NaturalNews) A 43-page study released by the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) reveals that since the inception of genetically modified (GM or GMO) crops, no significant increases in crop yields can be attributed to them.
UCS Study Says Genetically Modified Crops Have Failure to Yield
by Aaron Turpen, citizen journalist
See all articles by this author
Email this author
(NaturalNews) A 43-page study released by the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) reveals that since the inception of genetically modified (GM or GMO) crops, no significant increases in crop yields can be attributed to them.
It turns out that when the heat was coming down on Barry Bonds for steroid use, in a paranoid fit he dumped his stash powerful performance enhancing powders, pills, and perks into Canada's Lake Diefenbaker. A few short years later, Barry's trainer turns into a snitch, sports writers hate steroids, and Lake Diefenbaker anglers start shattering IGFA World Records.
Introduced more than a decade ago, genetically modified crops are now planted on millions of acres throughout the world. But the fundamental questions about them remain — both about their safety and their long-term impact on global food security and the environment.
by verlyn klinkenborg
For the past dozen years, I’ve been writing editorials opposing the introduction of genetically modified crops.
‘We were wrong,’ scientist says
By Greg Henderson (9/17/2009)
Speculations about high-fructose corn syrup were a stretch.
This week America mourned the passing of Norman Borlaug, the great scientist whose development of dwarf wheat varieties helped Third World countries fend off starvation for many of their citizens. Borlaug won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1970 for his work and is generally credited for helping save over 1 billion people from starvation.
A great 90 minute film is in theatres now called “Food, Inc.” If you haven’t seen “The Future of Food”, you may be interested in the eye-opening but sickening details in this movie by award-winning filmmaker Robert Kenner.
By Neil Scott, Saskatchewan News NetworkSeptember 12, 2009
There were differing opinions Friday about the potential impact on Canadian flax imports to Europe after an alert was issued about Canadian flax contaminated with genetically modified material being possibly discovered in Europe.
Sept.11 : In times when food is genetically manipulated and chemically contaminated, the metaphor "food for thought" can also stand for manipulated information and be toxic food for thought. Unfortunately, Dr M.S. Swaminathan's GM: Food for Thought (August 26), is as manipulated as the genetically-modified (GM) foods which were the subject of his article.
When those who oppose something consider it legitimate to destroy it, they are viewed as extremists, perhaps even fundamentalists or terrorists. These days we mostly hear about the Islamic kind, but in Europe there are also anti-GM extremists.
Last month, field trials of genetically modified barley were destroyed in Iceland.
GM flax puts market in turmoil this document web posted: 2009-09-17
Saskatoon newsroom
Flax trade with Europe has come to a grinding halt as officials try to sort out why an unregistered genetically modified flax variety is showing up in food products, according to European lab tests.
Greenpeace, the ecology campaigners, have okayed Pepsico, ITC, MTR, Dabur and Haldiram. But given a thumbs-down to Britannia, Cadbury, Hindustan Unilever, Nestle, Kellogg and Safal.
ST. LOUIS - Monsanto Co., the world's biggest seed maker, said Thursday it plans to make deeper work force cuts than previously announced, saying it will reduce its staff by about 8 percent to cut costs.
The St. Louis-based company also said its 2009 earnings would come in at the low end of its previous forecast due in part to weaker than expected results from Roundup and other herbicides.
What Genetically Modified Food Labeling Looks Like
The U.K. has started labeling GM foods without any problems. What is the U.S. waiting for?
August 18, 2009 at 9:49AM by Marion Nestle | 1 comment
You will recall that the FDA’s 1994 stance on labeling of genetically modified (GM) foods was that labeling foods as GM or non-GM would be misleading because the foods are no different.
Next time you are asked to eat up your vegetables, find out if it was organically cultivated. Ask if pesticides were used. Try to eat healthy to stay healthy. GM is a science that works to bring in changes in the genetic makeup of organisms like plants, animals or seeds. Basically it is about altering their natural state.
How many times were you convinced that vegetables, notably of the green variety were designed to kill? For once you might just be right.
Chickens refusing to eat the maize they had been fed has led to the discovery that their feed had been genetically modified to include a well-known weed and insect killer.
Strilli Oppenheimer’s indigenous African chickens were refusing to eat the mealies in the chicken feed bought from a large supplier. Concerned that the birds may be ingesting genetically modified maize, she had the maize tested.
The results confirmed Oppenheimer's initial suspicion -- the maize had been genetically engineered to produce proteins that are toxic to certain insects and weeds.
United Kingdom: Supermarkets hardly can further avoid gene-technology food products
(07 September 2009) The large supermarket chains in the United Kingdom do not obtain enough ‘gene-technology-free’ raw materials on the world market. This results in significant difficulty in continuing to sell only food products without gene-technology constituents that are subject to labelling.
Michael Antoniouteaches Molecular Genetics at King’s College, London. In his spare time, he likes to help non-profits with information on the science of genetically modified organisms (GMOs).
It's as true in today's world as it was in the antebellum South: cotton is king. The plant has been cultivated for its fiber for over 7,000 years, and today it's grown by more than 20 million farmers in some 80 countries. But while cotton accounts for nearly 40% of the fiber used worldwide to make clothing, there's one thing the plant has never been able to do well: feed people.
In Coming Harvests, Farm-aceutical Corn - Even Spermicide
NEBRASKA, Oct. 8, 2002
"Instead of spending several hundred million dollars and waiting five years to build a factory you can actually increase the amount of antibody you make by growing more corn." - Mich Hein, founder of biotech firm Epicyte
(CBS) It's in the middle of nowhere Nebraska, an island of corn in an ocean of soybeans.
CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt's agriculture minister has not issued a decision to ban the import of genetically modified crops, the state news agency MENA said on Thursday, denying an earlier report.
The agency quoted an unnamed official at the Agriculture Ministry as stating that earlier reports citing Amin Abaza ordering that a certificate accompany all imports to show they were free of genetically modified materials were "not correct.
CAIRO — Egypt is banning food imports and exports that are not certified free of genetically modified products, state news agency MENA reported on Wednesday.
Agriculture Minister Amin Abaza "gave instructions.
WASHINGTON — Even as each crisis sweeps the previous one out of awareness, it is important to recognize that the current food crisis is neither sudden nor quickly fixed.
It has developed gradually as a result of relentless increases in demand in the context of a finite natural resource base and decreasing global investment in agricultural research and development.
No genetically modified crops are grown commercially in Japan, perhaps one of the countries in the world with the strongest consumer opposition to "unnatural" GM foods.
Scientists urge better seed access
By ANDREW EDER
The News Journal
Scientists and advocates are sounding the alarm on a practice of high-tech seed producers: limiting the independent research that can be done on those seeds.
From Tuesday's Globe and Mail Last updated on Wednesday, Aug. 05, 2009 04:04AM EDT
ENVIRONMENT REPORTER
Next spring, farmers in Canada will be able to sow one of the most complicated genetically engineered plants ever designed, a futuristic type of corn containing eight foreign genes.
Chickens refusing to eat the maize they had been fed has led to the discovery that their feed had been genetically modified to include a well-known weed and insect killer.
July 30, 11:12 AM · Kate Johnson - Minneapolis Nutrition Examiner
Genetically modified, or GM, foods are negatively affecting our health and are linked to increasing rates of infertility in our population. In a study by the Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety lab rats fed GM corn showed a dramatic decrease in fertility rates.
t's no secret that I have a difficult time accepting genetically modified (GM) foods at face value. My primary concerns have to do with what we know, and, more importantly don't know about how this "promising" technology may or may not be impacting human health and our environment.
For those who prefer to avoid serving as human lab rats, myself included, our non-GM food options, according to advocates of GM food, boil down to eating USDA Certified Organic, which do not allow any genetically modified seed or crops to be used on such labeled food products.
Call for GM crop 'ceasefire' Monday, July 27, 2009, 10:00 2 readers have commented on this story. Click here to read their views.
A "CEASEFIRE" should be called between ministers and anti-GM protesters to allow trials to go ahead unhindered.
Campaigners, farming leaders and MPs insist the stand-off with opponents of genetically modified food is limiting the ability of scientists to prove whether or not GM crops are safe to eat.
(NaturalNews) Farmers in South Africa have reported an inexplicable failure to seed in three different varieties of corn genetically modified (GM) by the Monsanto Corporation.
"One can't see from the outside whether a plant is unseeded," said Kobus van Coller of Free State province. "One must open up the cob leaves to establish the problem.