US News Archive

Monsanto Pulls GM Corn (November 2009)
Under conditions of great secrecy, Monsanto has informed EFSA that it no longer wishes to pursue its application for approval of GM maize LY038 and the stacked variety LY038 x MON810. Both of these varieties were designed to accelerate the growth rate of animals.

Court Rejects Genetically Modified (GM) Sugar Beets (September 2009)
The government illegally approved a genetically modified, herbicide-resistant strain of sugar beets without adequately considering the chance they will contaminate other beet crops, a federal judge in San Francisco has ruled.

Farm Groups Oppose GM Wheat (June 2009)
Fifteen groups in the top wheat-exporting countries of Canada, the U.S. and Australia released a joint statement of opposition to GMO wheat on Monday. It follows the May 14 call by GM wheat supporters in the three countries for synchronized production of GM wheat. Read Statement

Superweed' Explosion Threatens Monsanto Heartlands (April 2009)
The gospel of high-tech genetically modified (GM) crops is not sounding quite so sweet in the land of the converted. A new pest, the evil pigweed, is hitting headlines and chomping its way across Sun Belt states, threatening to transform cotton and soybean plots into weed battlefields.

Maine Seeks to Track GM Crop Plantings (April 2009)
Nobody knows just how many acres of genetically altered crops are grown every year in Maine. A bill being proposed by Rep. Benjamin Pratt, D-Eddington, would change that.  Pratt is sponsoring three of four bills aimed at regulating genetically modified crops.

GE Crops Have Failed to Increase Yields as Promised (April 2009) Summary in Q & A format
For years, the biotechnology industry has trumpeted that it will feed the world, promising that its genetically engineered crops will produce higher yields. That promise has proven to be empty, according to a new report by the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS). Despite 20 years of research and 13 years of commercialization, genetic engineering has failed to significantly increase U.S. crop yields.

Farming at Refuge Was Illegal, Judge Rules (March 2009)
Prime Hook managers broke federal laws on environmental reviews. See also...

GM Crops banned from Wildlife Refuge (March 2009)
A federal court has ordered the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service to stop planting genetically engineered (GE) crops on its Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge in Delaware.  While the ruling is limited to Prime Hook, the lawsuit may serve as a model for similar litigation at more than 80 other national wildlife refuges now growing GE crops across the country.

GM Food Producers Condemned by the Pope (March 2009)
Pope releases draft document to African bishops accusing multinationals of 'invading' Africa and 'defiling God's creation'.

Illegal Human Feeding Trials of "Golden Rice" (March 2009)
More than 30 senior scientists and academics signed an open letter condemning researchers at Tufts University (Boston) in the United States for carrying out clinical trials of genetically modified (GM) 'Golden Rice' on children. The scientists claimed that the trials were in breach of the Nuremberg Code of Ethics brought in at the end of the Second World War to prevent any repetition of the experiments conducted by Nazi scientists including many on children. The 'Golden Rice' in the trials (GR2) appears to be an experimental collection of transgenic events still in the laboratory, uncharacterised in terms of basic molecular genetics or biological and biochemical properties, not tested pre-clinically on animals, or subjected to any other safety assessment.

Where Are Pesticides Made? Perhaps Inside Your Belly. (March 2009)
Modified genes in our food supply may be modifying us, says Jeffrey M. Smith.

Franken-Fighter (February 2009)
Coverage of Jeffrey M. Smith’s Hawaii tour

More US farmers planting non-GMO soybeans this year (March 2009)
For the first time since 1996, acres of Roundup Ready genetically modified soybeans could drop as more farmers decide to plant non-GMO. Low commodity soybean prices, attractive premiums, and rising prices for genetically modified soybean seed are leading American farmers to plant more acres of non-GMO soybeans this year.

Genetically Modified Disaster (February 2009)
Read Jeffrey Smith’s insights on Mahesh Bhatt’s new documentary, Poison on a Platter, a gripping tale of India’s impending biotech disaster.

Crop Scientists Say Biotechnology Seed Companies Are Thwarting Research (February 2009)
Biotechnology companies are keeping university scientists from fully researching the effectiveness and environmental impact of the industry's genetically modified crops, according to an unusual complaint issued by a group of those scientists. 

Hawai'i SEED Presents Acclaimed Author Jeffrey M. Smith in an Eight-City Statewide Speaking Tour on the Dangers of Genetically Modified Foods
The tour will feature eight separate community events focusing on breaking news surrounding the serious health risks of genetically modified organisms (GMOs).

IATP Calls for Legislative Hearings: Mercury Found in High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) (January 2009)
Mercury was detected  in nearly one in three of the 55 HFCS-containing food products tested. They include some of the most recognizable brands on supermarket shelves: Quaker, Hunt’s, Manwich, Hershey’s, Smucker’s, Kraft, Nutri-Grain and Yoplait.  study

USDA unable to weed out unapproved modified foods (January 2009)
The U.S. food supply is at risk of being invaded by unapproved imports of genetically modified crops and livestock, a USDA internal audit report released Wednesday said.

Advocates Call for Immediate Ban of All GM Foods and GM Crops Due to Threat to Human Fertility (2008)
A long-term feeding study commissioned by the Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety, managed by the Austrian Federal Ministry of Health, Family and Youth, and carried out by Veterinary University Vienna, confirms genetically modified (GM) corn seriously affects reproductive health in mice.

Food allergies on the rise in American children, says new study - cause remains a mystery (October 2008)
IRT today was quoted in the New York Daily News as the authoritative source for information about new allergy increases and food-sensitivity links in children. Executive Director Jeffrey Smith shares his view with reporter Corky Siemaszko that GMOs may be behind the sharp increase cited in the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention survey.

IRT Featured in alive Magazine (June 2008)
IRT’s research on GMOs health risks is highlighted in the June 2008 issue of alive Magazine titled, Biotechnology On Your Plate (pages 58-63). The article, authored by the Institute’s own Jeffrey M. Smith, helps readers make smarter non-GMO choices.