Actually, Herbicide-tolerant and Bt-transgenic crops caused a reduction in the use of pesticides. Charles Benbrook at Washington State University’s Center for Sustaining Agriculture and Natural Resources says BT crops caused a reduction in the use of insecticide by 10-12 million pounds in a year between 1996 and 2011. Data gotten from USDA is showing a more drastic decrease.…
Myths about pesticides are just testimonies/claims to support false advertisements, marketing strategies or acts of lobbying. Pesticide companies, like Big Tobacco and the oil industry, have produced, through tricks, doubts about the science behind pesticides and have promoted the myths that their products are vital to life and harmless IF used as specified.
The myths were referred to as Tobacco Strategy by book Merchants of Doubt. Pesticide companies organized public relations and legal campaigns to disagree with the evidence, often using untruthful scientists to create controversial premises around the so-called junk science ranging from second-hand smoke resulting into cancer, global …
More produce has been added to the ever-expanding GMO list: potatoes and apples. In this particular case, the GMO version of these common plant products has been modified to reduce browning (oxidation) when slices are exposed to the air. Scientists achieved this by using dsRNA (a version of RNA, sometimes found in viruses, that is double-stranded, similar to DNA), to alter the effects of the gene that is responsible for both the fruit’s and tuber’s browning response. Because the results are merely aesthetic, there was really no good reason to modify this gene, as some amount of browning is perfectly …
The awkward news keeps going viral on daily basis that Monsanto’s Roundup glyphosate-laced herbicide is poisonous. A recent study showed that if Roundup could cause hormonal imbalances in rats, then humans are not safe because it may have similar effects on them.
This study was published recently in the journal ‘Toxicology Reports’. It was discovered that Roundup works as a “hormone hacker” which means, it creates imbalances in the production of steroid hormones in male rats.
Roundup eliminates weeds by acting as an enzyme inhibitor thereby stopping further production of aromatic amino acids needed for plant growth. Roundup-resistant GMO plants …
As little as a decade ago, hummus was something to be looked forward to, a rare treat that you may only encounter at a specialty restaurant. More and more, however, it has become a commonplace healthy snack that you may pick up anytime at your local grocery store. Nutrition-conscious parents in particular have been relying on conveniently-packaged commercial hummus like Sabra to give their kids a healthy lunch.…
Groups appealing production approval for genetically-modified salmon eggs in P.E.I.
In Federal Court later this week, Environmental groups will attempt to overturn the decision (made by Environment Canada) to approve genetically-modified salmon eggs for production. They argue that the process is much too shrouded in mystery and that this does not bode well as an indicator of things to come in the industry.
According to the Living Oceans Society and The Ecology Action Centre, Environment Canada was, even by their own standards, not thorough enough in their assessment of the company that sought approval to produce the eggs.…
It’s about Time you start Thinking about Your Baby!
It’s just as if it was a day ago when a large number of people were totally not paying attention to the issue raised by so many scientists with international recognitions concerning Genetically Modified Foods (GMFs). Today, nearly 20 of European countries have placed a total ban or severe restrictions on GMOs. This restriction does not exempt the pesticides that come along with the GMOs. Specifically, new 19 European countries recently place a ban on the growing of Genetically Modified foods in their countries, making reference to reasonable number of health …
What will you be serving on your dinner table tonight? Well, in the very near future, it might very well be the first genetically engineered animal to be approved in the U.S. for human consumption, GMO salmon.
In spite of the reservations of opposing parties, the FDA deemed the fish to be perfectly safe, and gave the go-head a few days ago. In a matter of a few years, the salmon could be making its way to your local grocery store aisles.…
Is it possible that genetically-modified organisms are sneaking onto your dinner table? Let’s go over the essentials of what you should know.
GMOs (genetically-modified organisms, usually referring to food) are a controversial subject these days among both lay men and researchers. As the holiday feasts are nearly upon us, more and more GMO issues will come into focus in the coming weeks, so the best policy is probably to stay as informed as possible as we prepare for Thanksgiving in particular.…
It seems as though there are constantly reports of birth defects, organ failure, cancer, and other negative health conditions that are associated with GMO consumption. This means we should limit the use of GMO in baby products. Babies are sensitive to the foods they consumer and we know that the pesticides in the mother’s milk can be damaging to the baby. There are three companies listed below that represent more than 90% of baby formula sales in the US that will not consider removing GMO from their products.…