Responding to the need for strain-specific probiotic testing, Eurofins becomes the first third party laboratory to employ DuPont’s polymerase-chain-reaction (PCR) genotyping assays to identify probiotics at the strain level.
Complex supply chains, heavy processing and continual supply and demand issues make seafood the ideal target for food fraud, but innovations in molecular biology, along with other tried and true detection and deterrent methods could reduce the risk and...
USDA will publish a draft of its proposed federal GMO labeling rule in the fall of this year (which will be subject to public comment) and says it is “working hard to meet the schedule in order to issue a final rule on the law in July 2018.”
Synthetic biology, or GMO 2.0 as some are calling it, has vastly more penetration in the marketplace than was previously believed. That’s the takeaway from the assembly of the first list of such ingredients.
FDA and USDA push forward a strategy to modernize how genetically modified organisms are regulated that was created in part with the Executive Office of the President under the Obama Administration even as President Trump took office with the promise...
News that non-browning mushrooms developed with a gene-editing tool called CRISPR/Cas9 would not be subject to regulation by USDA has prompted a fresh debate about what ‘GMOs’ are, and whether the regulatory framework governing biotech crops is fit for...
Two years after the UK meat industry was rocked by the discovery of horsemeat in dozens of beef products, a new study in the US has discovered the widespread contamination of meat with other species, including horsemeat.
Food ingredients produced using ‘synthetic biology’ techniques – such as Evolva's vanillin, which is made from genetically engineered baker’s yeast - do not qualify for the Non-GMO Project Verified stamp, says the Non GMO Project.
A mother's environment and dietary habits around the time of conception could permanently change the function of genes influencing the risk of diseases in her child, say researchers.
Opponents of genetic modification say there is a new, potentially more powerful technology to contend with: synthetic biology. Purveyors of natural products who are concerned about this technique have coined the term for the way in which scientists have...
Recent advances that allow the precise editing of genomes have raised the possibility that fruit and other crops might be genetically improved without the need to introduce foreign genes, according to researchers.
Few short answers exist in the world of complex consumer food litigation. Arthur Miller, PhD, principal scientist and engineering and scientific consulting firm Exponent Inc., summed up three key industry trends that have contributed (and likely will...
A new comprehensive test that combines two well-known genetic analysis methods into a single test could help enforce stricter regulation of genetically modified foods in the future, say researchers.
What precedent might it set if firms are forced to label foods made using new technologies, even if the end product does not differ in any meaningful way from foods developed by ‘traditional’ methods?
In an update on its probe into unauthorized genetically modified wheat detected in Oregon, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) said Friday that it “has neither found nor been informed of anything that would indicate that this incident amounts to more...
Dietary proteins and iron found in red meat could be linked to increased risks of cancer due to their ability to form ‘powerful carcinogens’, says new research.
Canada is backing a CAD $600,000 project to map the genome of Listeria and develop faster testing methods that will allow the industry to respond more quickly to food safety investigations.
A SDIX system used for confirmation of E.coli has been approved by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) in the month the industry body started testing for newly regulated strains of the pathogen.
A petition calling for food manufacturers to state on labels whether their products contain genetically engineered ingredients has attracted more than 850,000 comments, claim organizers of the Just Label It campaign.
Consumer groups have petitioned the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to alter the process by which it assesses the safety of AquaBounty’s fast-growing genetically engineered (GE) salmon.
A coalition of nearly 400 businesses and organizations has delivered a petition to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) calling for the mandatory labeling of genetically engineered (GE) foods.
Researchers from Monell and Givaudan have discovered a ‘taste terminator’ protein inside taste cells, which may control the way we perceive bitter taste signals.
ConAgra Foods is facing two class action lawsuits that claim the marketing of its Wesson cooking oils as “100% natural” and "pure" is misleading because the oil is extracted from plants that have been genetically modified (GM).
Researchers at Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences have said they are developing a method to more accurately identify salmonella strains – which could help scientists identify the source of an outbreak sooner.
After two days of hearings, a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advisory panel has called for more research to decide whether genetically engineered salmon is safe for consumption.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has said its Veterinary Medicine Advisory Committee will meet on September 19 and 20 to discuss the possible commercialization of genetically engineered salmon.
Exposure to bisphenol A (BPA) during pregnancy can cause permanent abnormalities in the uterus of offspring and the reprogramming of genes, said new research from the Yale School of Medicine.
Improved soybean plants able to produce tailor-designed proteins and oils will be available in three or four years, according to the US team which recently mapped the plant’s genetic sequence.
BASF has entered into partnership with a Brazilian research centre to develop genetically modified sugarcane with higher yields and greater tolerance to drought.
A consortium of 82 organizations is campaigning for more stringent evaluations of genetically engineered crops in the US, and urging a freeze on new approvals pending changes to the authorization procedure.
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has invited interested parties to take part in a scoping session on the agenda for meetings discussing a proposed rule for genetically engineered (GE) organisms in April.
The soybean genome is to be made widely available to the research community after the US Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute said it has released a complete draft assembly of the genetic code.
In order to maintain the confidence of US consumers in the food supply when genetically engineered (GE) animals enter the marketplace, a national animal identification system would be required, claims a meat processor.
The proposed Food and Drug Administration (FDA) rules on genetically engineered (GE) animals are seriously flawed, claims the US Centre for Food Safety (CFS).
Four cases of listeria contamination in the US are increasingly
thought to have come from a Massachusetts dairy although officials
say they still have not found a source of the bacteria at the
processing plant.
Hairy roots, structures formed by a common soil bacterium after it
infects a plant, could be tailored to become natural factories to
produce food flavourings, researchers have reported.
Scientists who identified the gene mutation behind orange, beta
carotene-rich cauliflower are investigating ways to apply their
knowledge to transgenic potatoes, with a view to developing more
nutritious stable foods.
Biotech behemoth Monsanto has joined forces with gene technology
expert Chromatin to develop ways of increasing the
number of modified genes that can be inserted into crops such as
soybeans and corn.
Netherlands-based DSM has announced the publication of the full
genome for the fungus Aspergillus niger used to produce a
range of enzymes and other compounds for the food industry.
It was announced yesterday that scientists have successfully mapped
the most extensive cow genetic sequence - bringing and end to a
three year project that is promising to revolutionize the beef and
dairy industry.
The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) is to fund research to
crack the code of the pig genome, something that could lead to
better meat for consumers.
DNA testing is to be used to ensure the quality of Angus branded
beef, after generations of cross breeding has resulted in reduced
Angus breed percentages in many of the cattle that currently
qualify for the breeding programs under...
