Friday Frankenfood March

Genetically modified food vendors are pushing their wares past government regulators worldwide, forcing them on unwilling, often unknowing, citizens. Here are some dispatches from the front ...

- GM goats are being created to replicate human breast milk proteins.

- FDA guidelines for genetically modified meat, milk and dairy include no mandatory labeling requirements. The FDA is sure the food conglomerates will tell us all about what we're eating if they think they can spin a health benefit out of it.

- Friends of the Earth's European chapter is accusing biotech companies of inflating planting acreage reports to inflate perceptions of their success and public acceptance.

- An editorial in the UK Farmers Guardian laments that while GM sugar can be sold on store shelves, GM sugar beets can't be grown in the UK. Meanwhile, US sugar beet growers use almost 100 percent GM beets of Monsanto's Roundup Ready variety. Lobbying efforts are in process to overturn existing bans.

- A French report says a GM corn variety 'is safe', but controversies remain and a government ban is staying in place for now.

- A genetically modified salmon is on the way to US markets. The fish grow far faster than typical for their species of salmon, and their triploid genome is likely the method of enforcing the sterility touted by the manufacturer.

- Annie Kay brings up the real concern, we just don't know enough and neither the regulators who are supposed to keep us safe nor the scientific establishment seem forthcoming with appropriate consumer labeling and safety testing. The lack of information makes the continued claims of safety ring hollow.

(Photo series: James Tan Chin Choy on Flickr.)