A public interest group, representing environmental, public health, and organic farm interests, has asked the U.S. Environmental Protection (EPA) to deny an emergency request by Texas cotton growers to use a controversial pesticide on genetically engineered (GE) cotton to control weeds that are now resistant to the chemical they have been using, Roundup (glyphosate). Approximately 90% of cotton grown in Texas is genetically engineered or known as a genetically modified organism (GMO). The request, which comes through the Texas Department of Agriculture, seeks an allowance on 3 million acres for the highly toxic pesticide propazine, not registered for use on cotton.

An initiative requiring mandatory labeling of genetically modified foods in Oregon moved one step closer to the November ballot on Wednesday after advocates said they submitted more than enough qualifying signatures to the state.

More than 500 jobs and millions of tax dollars could be lost if a moratorium on the cultivation of genetically engineered organisms passes, two Maui County seed companies say.

It's no secret that I'm not a fan of genetically modified crops, so I was fully supportive when part of the state I live in voted to ban genetically modified crops. The hope is that this will be a solution to a common problem with genetically modified crops cross-pollinating nearby fields. This is sometimes called "pollen drift," and it can be a big problem.

Every day public and private wheat breeders get closer to the goal of a commercially available genetically engineered wheat variety. It’s now more important that wheat industry leaders continue to communicate among the sectors, which is why the Joint Biotechnology Committee exists, explained Chairman Jay Armstrong.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is considering a request by Texas regulators to allow the use of a controversial herbicide, propazine, to battle Palmer amaranth, a glyphosate-resistant “super weed” that has been plaguing growers of genetically engineered (GE) herbicide-tolerant cotton in the state. Propazine, an active ingredient in Milo-Pro, would be sprayed on up to 3 million acres, which amounts to approximately half of the state’s estimated crop acreage for this season. As currently proposed, the maximum amount of product to be applied would be 70,314 gallons.

Monsanto said its earnings fell more than 5 percent in the third fiscal quarter on lower sales of biotech seeds, but its performance still topped Wall Street estimates and the company raised its 2014 outlook. It also announced plans to repurchase $10 billion in shares.

Proposed GMO labeling legislation died in this year's New York State legislative session. But advocates promise to resurrect it next session.

As demand increases for non-GMO ingredients, manufacturers have to turn to suppliers they can trust. New products made with non-genetically modified organism (non-GMO) ingredients are on the rise in the United States. (.....) But, it can be hard for manufacturers to be sure that they’re actually getting non-GMO ingredients. However, there are some things they can ask their suppliers to make sure they’re getting the right ingredients, including:

- Can you track non-GMO ingredients back to the seed, the grower and the field?

- If your corn is “identity preserved,” what property is being “identity preserved”?

- How do you segregate non-GMO corn from GMO corn?

- What programs do you have in place to guarantee non-GMO status?

- How do you control your non-GMO supply chain with contract partners?

- Does an independent third party certify your non-GMO products? What are the standards used for certification? Do they match those of the Non-GMO Project?

Ingredion, global provider of ingredient solutions, is among the companies working hard to offer non-GMO products.

(Candy Industry)

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Let us celebrate today the latest initiatives of our nation's growing food safety movement. Across the country, consumers are demanding the right to know what is in their food, and labeling of genetically engineered food. It's a vibrant and diverse coalition: mothers and grandmothers, health libertarians, progressives, foodies, environmentalists, main street conservatives and supporters of free-market economics. Last year, a New York Times poll found that a near-unanimous 93 percent of Americans support such labeling.

(Huffington Post)

Vermont may hire national guns to help defend its GMO labeling law. “We’re going to fight fire with fire,” Vermont Attorney General Bill Sorrell said in an interview Thursday.