Feds say it’s time to get serious about #foodwaste; what a World War 1 poster can teach us
Recently, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) joined with a coalition of non-profit and faith-based organizations, food companies and local government to set …
Q&A: Pam Ronald, UC plant geneticist
“It’s interesting that the public has come to believe that organic farming is diametrically opposed to genetics. That’s untrue…organic farmers also rely on genetic improvements. I’m lucky to have a …
Bringing back American chestnuts
Jill Neimark (@jillneimark) is a writer whose work has been featured in Discover, Scientific American, Science, Nautilus, Aeon, Psychology Today and The New York Times. She writes this piece for …
Senate committee passes bill that overturns EPA clean water rule
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is facing a challenge from the U.S. Senate. A 2006 Supreme Court decision laid the groundwork by “requiring the EPA to prove significant connections between …
EPA to propose temporary pesticide restrictions while bees feed
A proposed federal rule that would create temporary “pesticide-free zones” for bees is creating controversy. The rule, which would apply “when certain plants are in bloom around bees that are …
White House releases national strategy to save pollinators
Pollinators play a critical role in supporting food production. About three quarters of all native plants globally require pollination. We can credit pollinators – generally honey bees – with one …
U.S. food safety is complex…and has big gaps, critics say
An estimated one in six Americans will become ill this year from a food-borne illness. Despite recent calls to merge America’s food safety oversight functions into a single agency, it’s …
Consumer Reports: pesticides in produce
A recent Consumer Reports study revealed that 85% of those surveyed were concerned about pesticide use. And consumers are also confused about the complex issues of food production and pesticide …
EPA to investigate North Carolina for lax oversight of industrial hog operations
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has opened an investigation into whether the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) failed to provide proper oversight for the state’s industrial hog …
U.S. GM regulations: companies finding loopholes
A gray area is appearing in U.S. regulations regarding GM crops, creating technical loopholes that companies are taking advantage of. Some companies are developing genetically modified crops – “novel crops” …