GM crops under new US scrutiny

GM crops under new US scrutiny

Genetically modified (GM) crops have been at the center of a storm of protests in Europe, which has begun to move into the United States. US surveys show increasing consumer concern about food biotechnology and some major food companies have announced decisions to purchase only non-bioengineered products. Recently, the finding of StarLink® corn in taco shells has raised harsh criticisms about t...

Italy sets new hurdles for GM crops

The US and the EU may have put on a joint face at this month’s collapsed World Trade Organisation talks in Mexico, but disputes between them over genetically modified crops are deepening. Italy won the right to impose an emergency ban on genetically modified food products when Europe’s highest court intervened in the bitter dispute between Rome and US biotechnology companies. But Italy’s victor...

GM animals - another GM crops?

As new biotechnologies are developed, the parallels with GM crops are often drawn. In this paper, I consider GM animals and contrast them with GM crops. I use a systems of innovation perspective to consider innovation, product markets and regulatory systems and suggest that whilst there are some parallels between GM crops and animals there are also clear differences. There are differences in th...

Under Scrutiny

GM crops: The socio-economic impacts

World population has already exceeded 6.5 billion, out of which about 850 million (13 percent) are undernourished. With the current growth rate, the world community faces even a greater challenge of hunger and food security as the estimated the population will catch 9 billion by the year 2050 with doubled needs for food. At the same time, preservation of biodiversity, stopping deforestation and...