GM labeling: The European Union should impose mandatory labeling of all milk, meat, and egg products derived from animals fed with genetically modified crops, demands a Greenpeace petition submitted to EU officials and signed by a million Europeans. Which would be basically everything that isn’t organic — and if the E.U. listens, is going to seriously hurt U.S. grain exports. Int’l Herald Tribune (via AP)
Frankentrace backlash: An alliance of the UK’s 74 biggest organic food firms is lobbying against raising a proposed increase to the permitted genetically modified content of organic food from 0.1% to a maximum 0.9%. Guardian (UK)
Chocolate waffles?: Bulgarians are realizing they need more protection from genetically modified crops. Sofia Echo
Sticks and stones: Did you know that “critics of GM crops are selfish people”? And look out, India, the biotech industry seems to think you’re an easy mark. Financial Express
Food security in the Middle East: A Kurd opines on why Kurdistan really needs to encourage a more robust agriculture, as “despite having a vast amount of arable land by Middle Eastern standards and huge water resources, food production in Kurdistan is well below the expectation. No investment of any kind has been made to lure people to farming.” Kurdish Media
Dark times: U.K. farmers commiserate about the bird-flu outbreak, which has happened right around the sixth anniversary of the hoof-and-mouth disease outbreak. EADT
Low-hanging fruit: California “specialty” growers — as opposed to growers of corn and other commodity crops — are happy with the USDA’s proposed changes to the Farm Bill. Monterey Herald
Taco John’s not liable: A judge has dismissed Taco John’s as a plaintiff in lawsuits brought by those who got E. coli poisoning after eating at the Midwest fast-food chain — the franchisees are on the hook instead. Des Moines Register
Pollan in Colorado: A brief Q&A with Michael Pollan, who’ll be speaking at Colorado College Feb. 8. Colorado Springs Independent
Saving the world, one rainwater barrel at a time: Rick Moranis has a silly but funny piece about the greening of a fictional Park Avenue co-op. New York Times
Food, Farming, & Food Politics events calendar
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