GMO News Update - March 3, 2008 Resent-Date: Tue, 4 Mar 2008 12:37:54 -0600 (CST) Click here to read this e-mail online in color: http://www.thecampaign.org/gmonews030308.html The Campaign GMO News Update March 3, 2008 Dear Member of The Campaign, There have been 13 new articles posted in the GMO News Updates forum in the past week. http://www.thecampaign.org/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=4 ******************************************** Food giant says consumers don't want GM (Australia) The head of Australia's biggest food company says biotechnology companies only have themselves to blame for consumers continuing to reject genetically-modified canola. Bans on GM canola crops ended last week in Victoria, and in New South Wales today. More... http://www.thecampaign.org/forums/showthread.php?t=1111 ******************************************** Biotech industry impunity fuels global GE contamination spread Biotech companies are acting with impunity as cases of genetic engineering contamination continue on a global scale, a new report launched today reveals, GM Contamination Register Report 2007, by Greenpeace International and GeneWatch UK, details 39 new instances of crop contamination in 23 countries over the past year. Most of the contamination involved such staple crops as rice and maize, but also included soy, cotton, canola, papaya and fish. Since 2005, the GM Contamination Register has recorded 216 contamination events in 57 countries since GE crops were first grown commercially on a large scale in 1996. More... http://www.thecampaign.org/forums/showthread.php?t=1110 ******************************************** GM crops take root in South Africa South Africa produced 30% more genetically modified (GM) crops in 2007, with 1,8-million hectares of GM maize, soya and cotton being planted, Agri SA said on Wednesday. This makes the country the eighth-largest producer of GM crops in the world, behind larger countries such as the United States, Brazil, India and China, said Agri SA president Lourie Bosman. More... http://www.thecampaign.org/forums/showthread.php?t=1109 ******************************************** High food prices push China towards GMO: scientist Rising food prices and concerns over grains security have caused a shift in Chinese regulators' attitude towards genetically modified crops, a prominent Chinese researcher and GMO advocate said on Wednesday. More than two-thirds of Chinese cotton fields are planted with biotech cotton, but the government has stalled on approving biotech rice to be grown commercially despite expectations it would get the go-ahead a few years ago. More... http://www.thecampaign.org/forums/showthread.php?t=1108 ******************************************** Taking aim at GMOs Believing that genetically engineered foods are untested for health effects on humans, the Ashland Food Co-op has launched a program to get all such products off its shelves this year and other area markets, including Shop N Kart and Food For Less, say they are steadily increasing offerings of GMO-free food. Most genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are found in corn, soy, canola, cottonseed products and Hawaiian papaya, which means they're in a huge array of foods estimates range up to 70 percent in processed food says Co-op Outreach and Owner Services Manager Annie Hoy, who teaches classes on non-GMO shopping. More... http://www.thecampaign.org/forums/showthread.php?t=1107 ******************************************** Bt cotton doesnt hike yield: experts (India) Indian agriculture experts have debunked recent claims that Bt cotton has been a boon to Indian farmers. Bt cotton was introduced in India in 2002 and has found favour with the government as well as Cotton Association of India, which attributed increased output this year to higher productivity of Bt cotton. More... http://www.thecampaign.org/forums/showthread.php?t=1106 ******************************************** Genetically engineered corn recalled Following on the heels of a massive recall of 143 million pounds of beef by the federal government earlier this month, government officials have now recalled a tainted genetically engineered variety of corn. On Friday, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that they are coordinating efforts following notification by Dow AgroSciences that the company detected extremely low levels of an unregistered genetically engineered (GE) pesticide product known as a plant-incorporated protectant (PIP) in three of its commercial GE hybrid corn seed lines. More... http://www.thecampaign.org/forums/showthread.php?t=1105 ******************************************** S. Korea breaks GMO food taboo with first corn deal South Korea has for the first time bought genetically-modified corn for food, risking a backlash from consumer groups to secure cheaper grains. With record high global wheat, corn and other food prices making governments increasingly anxious about staple supplies and quickening inflation, the debate over the merits and safety of GMO crops is taking on new urgency. More... http://www.thecampaign.org/forums/showthread.php?t=1104 ******************************************** Genetically modified corn prepares to make Korean debut Genetically modified corn could hit Korean dinner tables by as early as May. The nation's starch manufacturers signed a deal to purchase nearly 50,000 tons of GM corn earlier this month, the Korea Association of Starch Manufacturers said yesterday. Starches are used widely as the raw material for everyday foods such as snacks, soft drinks and ice cream, so the decision is expected to stir controversy among the nation's consumers. More... http://www.thecampaign.org/forums/showthread.php?t=1103 ******************************************** Surging Corn Prices Causing Rethink of GMO Foods (Korea) Korea imports all the corn it uses to make sugar starch, amounting to 1.7 million to two million tons a year. Conscious of consumer antipathy towards genetically modified organisms (GMO), domestic starch producers imported only non-GMO corn, which is 30 percent more expensive than GMO corn. More... http://www.thecampaign.org/forums/showthread.php?t=1102 ******************************************** GM Foods to Appear on Korean Tables Soon With global crop prices soaring and supplies dwindling, Koreans are likely to see foods produced from genetically modified organisms on their dinner tables in the near future. South Korea's leading corn starch and sugar producers recently signed a joint contract to import some 50,000 tons of genetically engineered corn from the U.S. starting in May. More... http://www.thecampaign.org/forums/showthread.php?t=1101 ******************************************** GM crops can meet India's food, biofuel needs (Notice: This is a pro-gmo article and only posted for the information it contains.) India, which recorded the fastest growth in genetically modified (GM) crop adoption globally, could attain food self sufficiency once it allows commercialisation of GM crops, the head of a global research body said on Monday. "India can become self sufficient in food production by use of biotechnology in food crops," Clive James, chairman of the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications, told Reuters in an interview. More... http://www.thecampaign.org/forums/showthread.php?t=1100 ******************************************** The return of Frankenstein Foods? The EU might not regulate on straight bananas, but it does have a say when it comes to environmental and health concerns linked to the food we eat. In the coming weeks, the European Commission will be gearing up for one of its most wide-ranging discussions ever on the food thats grown in our fields, fed to our animals and sold in our supermarkets. After years of bitter disagreements between member states and European institutions on genetically modified organisms (GMOs), the Commission has finally decided to hold an unprecedented debate on the future of GMOs in Europe. The president of the Commission, Josi Manuel Barroso, has promised that the debate will be the first step before a public discussion involving all EU leaders. More... http://www.thecampaign.org/forums/showthread.php?t=1099 ********************************************