Tackling Malnutrition in Rural Ethiopia

Not long ago, it was common for children under the age of 5 to receive treatment for severe malnutrition in this Ethiopian community. Today, a community-based nutrition programme is keeping children strong and healthy, and families resilient. Weighing children monthly is one of the pillars of the Ethiopian Ministry of Health’s Community Based Nutrition Programme … Read more

Companies With Some Products Containing No GMOs

Here is a list of companies who make many or even the majority of all their products without GMOs. This list is provided courtesy of the Non-GMO Project. 365 479 Degrees A. Vogel Adams Vegetable Oils Agrana Agricor Inc. Ah!Laska Alexia Alter Ego Alverado Street Bakery Amande Amelia Among Friend’s Amy’s Kitchen Andalou Naturals Angie’s … Read more

Ending Malnutrition or Sustaining Neo-Colonialism?

Before the latest G8 meeting at the start of June, several summits aimed at addressing the prevalence of malnutrition were held in London, culminating in the signing of the Nutrition for Growth Compact. However, agreements on a heightened role for private businesses and the use of genetically modified crops have proven to be more controversial, … Read more

Vegan? Watch Your Protein Levels.

If you are a vegan or vegetarian with a secret stash of candy, jelly beans or dark chocolate, join the club. A constant craving for carbs with occasional headaches, muscle or joint pain may be due to a slight deficiency of protein. The symptoms of a severe protein deficiency include: Edema (swelling) Thinning brittle hair … Read more

Food Synthesis – From Soy or Soylent Green?

NASA just threw a $125,000, six-month grant at a project by Anjan Contractor, a mechanical engineer at Systems and Materials Research Corporation in Austin to develop a working prototype of his proposed universal food synthesizer. The feedstocks for this device, including all the carbs, proteins, macro, and micro nutrients are in powder form. Does placing … Read more

21st Century Acquisquishin’ is Alive and Well

First, they asked Monsanto what their ideal future looked like in fifteen to twenty years. Monsanto executives described a world with 100 percent of all commercial seeds genetically modified and patented. Anderson Consulting then worked backwards from that goal, and developed the strategy and tactics to achieve it. They presented Monsanto with the steps and … Read more

Growing Soybeans and a Supreme Court Case

When a farmer grows Monsanto’s genetically modified soybean seeds, has he simply “used” the seed to create a crop to sell, or has he “made” untold replicas of Monsanto’s invention that remain subject to the company’s restrictions? The question is now headed to the United States Supreme Court. “The current intellectual property environment of transgenic … Read more

Putting Nutrition at the Center of Development

To address the challenges related to malnutrition in Namibia, Prime Minister Nahas Angula has established the Namibia Alliance for Improved Nutrition (NAFIN), a multi-sectoral and multi-stakeholder partnership aimed at ensuring that concerted, coordinated and collaborative efforts by the government and partners lead to a reduction and eventual elimination of malnutrition and improved food security in … Read more

Defending Against GMO Contamination

As if it’s not enough work to guard against genetically modified organisms invading your seed-stocks and fields. Now you have to defend against being sued by the source of the malevolent invaders. Eighty-three family farmers, small and family owned seed businesses, and agricultural organizations challenging Monsanto’s patents on genetically modified seed recently filed papers in … Read more