07/February/22

 

Glyphosate and Roundup lead to changes in gene regulatory microRNAs (miRNAs or miRs) linked with cancer, newly published data show. The analysis, of a type known as small RNA profiling, was conducted in liver tissue from rats exposed to glyphosate and Roundup MON 52276, an EU-approved formulation, over 90 days. In the new results, Roundup MON 52276 was found to reduce the levels of miR-22 and miR-17, whereas glyphosate decreased the level of miR-30 and increased the amount of miR-10. These changes in miRNAs are important because they are known to alter the expression of crucial cell growth regulator genes, which can lead to the development of cancer. The new data confirm and build on previously reported findings. GMWatch

 

 

The growing opposition against a central government proposal on GM foods has intensified, with doctors and former Union Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss opposing the contentious rules, put forward by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI). As per the proposed draft, FSSAI would be the only authority to decide on manufacture, sale, import and distribution of GM food, bypassing mandatory scrutiny by the Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee, which currently regulates all GMOs. "The draft regulation, if notified, will make it extremely difficult for consumers to choose GM-free food... It will put many people at the risk of allergies and other problems related to GM foods’ consumption,” Ramadoss wrote to the health minister. In a letter to the FSSAI, more than 160 doctors have appealed to the food regulator to withdraw the regulations and take steps to ensure that GM foods do not enter the food chain. Deccan Herald

 

 

New estimates from the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) are downplaying the role of small-scale farmers in feeding the majority of the world’s population. But these studies miss five key things. GRAIN explains why at least 70% of the world is fed by small-scale producers. Clue: In order to arrive at its perverse conclusions, FAO had to change its own definition of a family farmer. And it discounted or ignored recent FAO and other reports proving that peasant farms produce more food and more nutritious food per hectare than large farms. Agribusiness dislikes the 70% figure so there may be pressure on FAO to act more in line with their new alliance with agribusiness group Croplife. GRAIN