When contemplating the role of biotechnology-derived crops today, Isobel Coleman, Senior Fellow for U.S. Foreign Policy at the Council on Foreign Relations, asks readers to consider the rapidly increasing world population. By 2050, she says, the world “will likely have another two billion mouths to feed and face an estimated 70% increase in global food demand.” In order to meet the needs of future generations, new agricultural technologies must be implemented. Coleman concludes that a variety of tactics should be used to boost agricultural production, adding that “we would be remiss if we do not include GM crops in the toolkit.” READ MORE »
Former USDA Secretary Dan Glickman says technology will improve the global food supply
During The Atlantic’s event “Feeding Future Generations” in Washington D.C., Former USDA Secretary Dan Glickman said technology is necessary to feed a growing world population. He pointed out that possible cuts to the U.S. foreign assistance budget add urgency to helping other countries, particularly in the drought-stricken Horn of Africa, to produce higher yielding crops. Read more.
UC-Berkeley plant biologist points out the high costs of GM food labeling
In the University of California-Berkeley’s Food Blog, biotechnology specialist Dr. Peggy Lemaux discusses the high potential costs consumers would need to pay if there was mandatory genetically modified (GM) food labeling in the US.
“If there is widespread agreement on the need for labeling, then a market could arise for GMO-free labeled foods for which people would pay extra,” Lemaux said. “This would be similar to the current situation with Kosher and organic foods. Since having access to GMO-free foods is not a matter of food safety, but food preference, this approach would lead to a situation in which only those people who want the extra information would pay for it.” Read more.
Report: Delays in GM crop approvals are putting Europe’s food security at risk
According to Reuters, Europe’s biotechnology industry presented EU policy makers with a report demonstratingthat “agricultural imports vital to EU food security” are increasingly being put at risk due to delays in the approval of GM crops. The report urges the European Commission, which oversees GM crop approvals, to make a commitment to reducing the backlog of applications. Read more.
We’ll be live streaming The Atlantic Food Summit on Tuesday, April 26 from 8:45 AM EST - 3:00 PM EST. The Food Summit is sponsored, in part, by CBI.
Press play for the webcast of the event. The full Food Summit agenda can be found below. You can also follow CBI on Twitter for live updates from the Food Summit @agbiotech.
8:30 am Welcome Remarks
Elizabeth Baker Keffer, President, AtlanticLIVE, and Vice President, The Atlantic
James Borel, Executive Vice President, E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company
8:45 am Keynote Remarks: Kathleen Merrigan, Deputy Secretary, U.S. Department of Agriculture
9:15 am Panel Discussion: Sustainable Agriculture
Moderated by Corby Kummer, Senior Editor, The Atlantic
Featuring:
• Sarah Alexander, Director of the Environment Practice, The Keystone Center
• Nina Fedoroff, President, American Association for the Advancement of Science
• Gary Hirshberg, Chief Executive Officer, Stonyfield Farm
• Molly Jahn, Professor at the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Madison
10:15 am Break
10:30 am Keynote Interview: Sam Kass, Assistant Chef, The White House
Interviewed by Corby Kummer, Senior Editor, The Atlantic
10:45 am Panel Discussion: Global Food Safety, Access & Affordability
Moderated by James Gibney, Deputy Managing Editor, The Atlantic
Featuring:
• José Andrés, Chef and Owner, ThinkFoodGroup
• Franz Fischler, Former Commissioner for Agriculture & Rural Development, The European Union
• Jim McGovern, Representative, U.S. House of Representatives
11:45 am Panel Discussion: A Closer Look at Consumer Choice, Nutrition, and Policy
Moderated by Clive Crook, Senior Editor, The Atlantic
Featuring:
• Ezekiel Emanuel, Chair of the Clinical Center Department of Bioethics, National Institutes of Health
• Jennifer Grossman, Senior Vice President, Dole Nutrition Institute
• Scott Kahan, Co-Director, George Washington University Weight Management Center
• Susan Neely, President & Chief Executive Officer, American Beverage Association
12:45 pm Lunch
1:10 pm Introductory Remarks
Jackson Bain, Vice President of Public Affairs, National Association of Children’s Hospitals
1:15 pm Keynote Interview: Michael Taylor, Deputy Commissioner for Foods, Food & Drug Administration
Interviewed by Corby Kummer, Senior Editor, The Atlantic
1:45 pm Keynote Interview: Alice Waters, Chef and Owner, Chez Panisse
Interviewed by Corby Kummer, Senior Editor, The Atlantic
Want to hear from experts and policy makers on hot topics like food security, nutrition and sustainable agriculture? Then mark your calendars for the Atlantic Food Summit on Tuesday, April 26 from 8:00 AM - 2:30 PM EST. The annual summit, this year sponsored in part by CBI, will feature an exciting line-up of speakers who are top experts in agriculture and food production and policy.
USDA Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan will give the morning keynote address. Thereafter, Dr. Nina Fedoroff, President of AAAS, the world’s largest scientific society, will participate in a panel discussion on sustainable agriculture.
Rep. Jim McGovern (D-MA), who serves as co-chair of the House Hunger Caucus, and internationally acclaimed chef José Andrés, founder of ThinkFoodGroup, will share their unique insights on the food security, access and affordability panel.
You can watch the event live on The Atlantic’s website. CBI will also keep you updated with live tweets from the event @agbiotech.
The Atlantic: Concerns about GM alfalfa contamination not backed by data
According to an article in The Atlantic, media reports that are critical of the USDA’s recent decision to deregulate genetically modified alfalfa neglect to provide supporting data. Author and food columnist James McWilliams says, “As I encountered one condemnatory article after another regarding Tom Vilsack’s choice to deregulate GM alfalfa, I kept wondering what I often wonder when grappling with an agricultural controversy: where’s the data?”
Dr. Dan Putnam, a forage expert at UC-Davis, conducted extensive research finding that the chances of cross-contamination from Roundup Ready alfalfa seed are nominal. “With a contamination possibility that’s less than 1 percent, we are not looking at a scenario in which GM alfalfa is going to overtake its organic counterpart,” Mr. McWilliams says citing Putnam’s study. Read more.
Sugar growers and sweetener users support biotech sugar beet seed
A National Journal article by prize-winning agricultural journalist Jerry Hagstrom points out that support for genetically modified seeds has created a rare source of agreement for sugar growers and sweetener users. When the two interest groups gathered this week for their annual International Sweetener Colloquium in San Diego, rather than clash on the usual hot topic of sugar prices, they found common ground over concerns that federal district court rulings on genetically engineered sugar beet seed have caused uncertainty about the American sugar supply.
In a recent letter to the USDA, the Federal Sweetener Association saidthe U.S. economy would be negatively impacted if growers could not plant genetically engineered beets. “The lack of alternative strategies for securing adequate supplies would create shortages, place large numbers of manufacturing jobs at risk, drive some already-struggling small businesses into bankruptcy, and raise consumer prices,” the association of candy companies and other industrial consumers of sweeteners said. Read more.
GM Prairie Grass produces cheaper, more abundant ethanol, Bloomberg reports
According to Bloomberg, research shows that genetically modifiedprairie grass, called switchgrass, could one day provide a cheaper biofuel, and the Department of Energy says it has the potential to reduce U.S. dependence on foreign oil. The authors of a research report from the National Academy of Sciences indicate that bioengineered switchgrass can produce ethanol more efficiently and may also help with the production of other newly emerging fuels made from the cellulose in plants. Read more.
GM crops necessary to improve ag productivity
As part of the New York Times online series “Is the World Producing Enough Food?”, Michael J. Roberts, assistant professor of agricultural and resource economics at North Carolina State University, says that genetically modified crops are important for agricultural productivity.
“The greatest hopes against truly catastrophic declines in crop production are a possible boost from CO2 fertilization and improved productivity through breeding or genetically modified crops.” Dr. Roberts discusses the need for improved productivity to meet the demands of a growing world population and increasingly high food community prices. Read more.
Foreign Relations, asks readers to consider the rapidly increasing world population. By 2050, she says, the world “will likely have another two billion mouths to feed and face an estimated 70% increase in global food demand.” In order to meet the needs of future generations, new agricultural technologies must be implemented. Coleman concludes that a variety of tactics should be used to boost agricultural production, adding that “we would be remiss if we do not include GM crops in the toolkit.” READ MORE »
