FEED - February 2006
Contents
1. An alternative to pharma crops approved
2. New price-competitive organic chain opens
3. Corn: not all it's cracked up to be
4. Antibiotic-resistant bacteria abound in soil
5. Switzerland bans engineered crops
6. Penicillin and other antibiotics fail in human medicine
1. An alternative to pharma crops approved
For the first time, a vaccine produced in genetically engineered plant cells has been approved by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The vaccine produced by Dow AgroSciences protects poultry against Newcastle disease. Dow produces the vaccine in genetically engineered tobacco plant cells grown in a steel fermentation tank, a process that avoids the problem of food or environmental contamination posed by the outdoor cultivation of crops. Dow plans to use its new process to produce West Nile vaccine for horses and avian flu vaccine for chickens, and perhaps someday, vaccines for humans. Read more in The Des Moines Register.
2. New price-competitive organic chain opens
The first of a planned chain of 50 stores selling organic and "natural" foods at prices intended to compete with conventional groceries recently opened in Indianapolis. Sunflower Market Stores, which are owned by Minneapolis-based SuperValu, will offer meat and seafood raised without hormones or antibiotics, and organic groceries. According to SuperValu, the new chain is a response to consumer research indicating cost was the biggest barrier for would-be organic buyers. Read a press release.
3. Corn: not all it's cracked up to be
George Pyle's highly readable new book on the corn industry will change the way you see the Midwest landscape. A reporter and editor who specializes in agricultural issues, Pyle came to see that corn production causes a number of environmental and economic problems. His book explains how the growing of corn affects our nation's soil and water quality, compromises the welfare of livestock in factory farms, destabilizes countries that receive food aid from the United States, and forces small-scale farmers out of business, increasingly putting control in the hands of large corporations. To learn more about why Pyle considers agricultural industrialization to be "a monumentally bad idea" and about how our corn surplus impacts the world, pick up his book, Raising Less Corn, More Hell: The Case for the Independent Farm and Against Industrial Food.
4. Antibiotic-resistant bacteria abound in soil
A new study published in Science reports that most soil bacteria are resistant to a wide range of antibiotics. The study tested 480 bacterial strains collected from diverse locales, including urban, forest, and agricultural sites, against 21 antibiotics, including products derived from natural sources, synthetic drugs, "gold standard" antibiotics that have been used for decades, and a few newly approved drugs. Each of the tested bacterial strains was resistant to, on average, seven or eight antibiotics, and none of the antibiotics was effective against all the bacterial strains. The study reveals the enormity of the reservoir of antibiotic-resistance genes that exists in the environment; these genes could become more widespread in response to the overuse of antibiotics. A commentary on the study noted that the resistance mechanisms in the soil bacteria could pose serious threats to human health if they found their way into bacteria that infected humans. Read the study abstract.
5. Switzerland bans engineered crops
Swiss voters recently passed a referendum banning the growing of genetically engineered plants for the next five years. Only one genetically modified crop, an experimental wheat crop, has ever been grown in Switzerland. The moratorium contrasts with the European Union's decision last year to lift its ban on genetically engineered crops; Switzerland is not a member of the European Union. Swiss farmers, many of whom are considering switching to organic production, overwhelmingly supported the referendum. Read more about the ban.
6. Penicillin and other antibiotics fail in human medicine
A study based on 11,500 cases and presented at the Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy in December found that penicillin fails to cure strep throat infections 25 percent of the time, necessitating treatment with additional antibiotics. Amoxicillin fails in 18 percent of cases, and older-generation cephalosporin antibiotics fail 14 percent of the time, compared to 7 percent for newer cephalosporins. The failure rates are attributable to the increase in resistance in disease-causing organisms. The results may lead doctors to prescribe the newer antibiotics as a first-line response, a practice that erodes the effectiveness of the newer drugs. Read more about the study, or read about the personal struggles of Washington Redskins football player Brandon Noble against an antibiotic-resistant staph infection.
