The IRE Resource Center is a major research library containing more than 23,250 investigative stories — both print and broadcast. These stories are searchable online or by contacting the Resource Center directly (573-882-3364 or rescntr@ire.org) where a researcher can help you pinpoint what you need. Browse or search the tipsheet section of our library below. Stories are not available for download but can be easily ordered by contacting the Resource Center:
Search results for "genetically modified food" ...
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Genetic Modified Food
In a two-part series, senior investigative correspondent Armen Keteyian examined the business of genetic engineering and the growing impact it is having on the way we grow food, and what we eat. Part one take a look at the business practices of Mondsanto, a major bio-tech seed maker, which patents its genetically modified seeds. Monsanto sells the seed to farmers but prohibits them from replanting their seeds after harvest, a practice known to farmers for 11,000 years. In the story, the team found that Monsanto has been coming after small farmers for seed piracy, suing them when Monsanto suspects farmers of planting its patented seeds "illegally" even when those farmers have never purchased or planted and Monsanto products. Part two examines the secret changes to our foods and asks, why don't we, in the U.S., label genetically modified ingredients when it is done with regular practice in Europe, Japan, Australia and our trading partners? Whether we realize it or not, we probably ate something for dinner last night that had a DNA-altered ingredient in it, but the FDA says that these ingredients do not have to be labeled and therefore no one knows when they are eating genetically modified foods.
Tags: Monsanto; genetically modified food; soybeans; farming; agriculture; seed cleaning; food
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Seeds of Doubt
These two stories deal with some dubious aspects of genetically modified foods; how their developers sometimes fail to deliver on the promise to relieve hunger in poverty-stricken parts of the world; and how the connections between universities that do the research and the companies that market the products are not always beneficial to the people whose lives depend on a cheap supply of food.
Tags: GM foods; patenting genetic material; Monsanto; Pioneer; cloning; Mali wild rice; Niger River; Africa; world hunger; university-industrial complex
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Farmers Fight To Save Organic Crops
The Progessive takes a look at the contamination of organic goods by genentically modified orgamisms (GMOs). Genetic contamination of oganic foods can come from sharing equipment, trucks and through pollination by wind and insects. Still, by comparison, organic crops are "orders of magnitude cleaner" than conventional ones.
Tags: organic crops; organic farming; bioengineering; genetically modified corn; genetically modified organisms; Organic Trade Association; National Organic Standards Board; American Seed Trade Association
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Mean Cuisine
The Washington Monthly looks at the controversies surrounding the production of organic and genetically modified foods. The story examines the various food concerns of restaurants chefs, environmental activists and consumers. The author attempts at refuting some widely spread assumptions "of the modern foodie." Amongst these assumptions are that "GM foods, being unnatural, lead to further alienation from nature," "GM crops will "cross-pollinate" the adjacent "wild" equivalents," and "residues of pesticides on food can easily make one sick." The article cites recent studies that have begun to "debunk fears," and concludes that "today's celebrity chefs are serving up a menu of global doom and politically twisted snobbery."
Tags: agriculture; organic farming; restaurants; genetically modified foods; pesticides; Environmental Protection Agency
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A Regulatory Maize
The Legal Times examines the maze of issues surrounding the regulation of biotech foods to find out who is responsible for overseeing the biotechnology industry. "It just doesn't make sense--the FDA is looking at food, and the EPA is looking at certain seeds, and the USDA is look at other aspects of genetically modified food," the Legal Times quotes a Durbin staffer.
Tags: biotechnology; bioengineering; bioengineered corn; regulation of biotech foods; StarLink; Department of Agriculture; Enivronmental Protection Agency; Food and Drug Administration; Biotechnology Industry Organization
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Genetically Modified Foods: Are They Safe
The story analyses whether genetically modified crops are an "environmental dream come true" or "disaster in the making." The author looks at the cost to wildlife, in particular the possible hazards that pollen from insect-resistant corn plants poses to the larvae of monarch butterflies. The reporter examines the worries that genes from GM crops may contaminate the surrounding plants. The investigation finds that "U.S. landscape logistics make it unlikely that herbicide-tolerant or Bt crops will spread their biotech genes," but "it might be harder to avoid creating superweeds elsewhere."
Tags: pollen; transgenic crops; Environmental Protection Agency; agriculture; environment; viruses; species
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Banking on Biotech
The story examines the controversies surrounding biotech research and development, and sheds light on some of the little known risks to the environment and the customers. The investigation finds that "public and private funds increasingly commingle in cooperative agreements with private industry," and that biotechnology is facing severe public relation problems. The reporter looks at the research activities at the Texas A&M University and finds that it "is well-situated to ride the crest in the coming biotech boom."
Tags: farms; crops; life science; agriculture; U.S. Department of Agriculture; Food and Drug Administration; Environmental Protection Agency; genetically modified foods; labeling; Monsanto; StarLink; Aventis; Novartis; Pioneer; allergy
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Reaping a biotech blunder
O'Reilly tells what happened when genetically modified corn not approved for human consumption started finding its way into corn chips, muffin mixes and other foods. In 1995, scientists produced a genetically modified corn plant that poisoned the corn-borer, an inch-long worm that costs farmers $1 billion a year. "Plant Genetics ... had developed another borer-killing gene that it called Starlink. However, the toxin that Starlink produced in the corn plant resembled a substance that triggers violent allergies in some people." Instead of waiting until Starlink's safety in humans could be established, the developers promised to use Starlink seed only to farmers using it for feed corn." The plan didn't work. After three years on the market, Starlink "began showing up in all sorts of places it didn't belong, including tacos, corn chips, breweries and muffin mix." Although it's not a disaster (nobody has been known to get sick from Starlink corn), the fiasco may have long-term consequences beyond the half-billion dollars it will cost Aventis.
Tags: biotech; Starlink; corn; Plant Genetics; Aventis; genetically-modified foods
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Seeds of Doubt Some Ingredients Are Genetically Modified, Despite Labels' Claims
Callahan and Kilman find that even though many foods are labeled "non-GMO," they do actually contain genetically modified crops. "Consumers are getting more genetically modified ingredients than they think." A prominent food laboratory tested 20 food products for The Journal. "Each of the products bore a label that read 'non-GMO' or 'GMO-free,' or otherwise specified that none of the crops used to make ingredients were genetically modified. Of the 20 products tested, 11 contained evidence of genetic material used to modify plants and another five contained more substantial amounts."
Tags: food; genetically-modified crops; chemicals; natural food
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The Politics of Food
European consumers, to the consternation of multinational agribusinesses such as Monsanto, have soundly rejected genetically modified "frankenfoods." Activists continue to call for bans on or at least labelling of genetically modified seeds and the foods they produce.
Tags: None