| | 11/March/25
| | Lab-grown food could be sold in UK within two years Meat, dairy and sugar grown in a lab could be on sale in the UK for human consumption for the first time within two years, sooner than expected. The Food Standards Agency (FSA) is looking at how it can speed up the approval process for lab-grown foods. Such products are grown from cells in chemical plants. Dog food made from meat that was grown in factory vats went on sale in the UK for the first time last month. In 2020, Singapore became the first country to authorise the sale of cell-cultivated meat for human consumption, followed by the US and Israel. However, Italy and the US states of Alabama and Florida have instituted bans. The FSA is to develop new regulations by working with experts from high-tech food firms and academic researchers. But Pat Thomas, director of the campaign group Beyond GM, is not convinced by this approach. "The companies involved in helping the FSA to draw up these regulations are the ones most likely to benefit from deregulation and if this were any other type of food product, we would be outraged by it," she said. "And it is worth saying that these ultra-processed foods have not been in the human diet before." BBC News UK science minister redefines deregulation The UK government's science minister, Lord Vallance, took issue with the fast-track authorisation process for lab-grown foods (see above) being described as "deregulation". In an Orwellian redefinition, he told BBC News, "It is not deregulation, it is pro-innovation regulation." BBC News Health impacts of lab-grown meats unknown Dr Michael Hansen of Consumer Reports points out lab-grown meats are foods so novel that their impacts on the microbiome and epigenetics are completely unknown. He adds that any lack of robust regulation for such products is a dereliction of duty to protect the public. GMWatch Who really benefits from new genomic techniques? Farmers and consumers at risk By neglecting to establish mechanisms for detecting and identifying new GMOs, the European Commission's proposed GMO deregulatory legislation jeopardises the position of small and medium-sized farmers, write Christophe Clergeau and Karsten Petersen of the PES Group in the European Committee of the Regions. They explain, "Without such safeguard, farmers may unknowingly cultivate contaminated fields or use seeds containing NGT [new GM techniques-derived] traits, risking patent infringement lawsuits and risking their production. Moreover, the legislation undermines the freedom of choice for consumers, territories and member states. The latter will not be able to apply the precautionary principle effectively and will be stripped of their right to refuse NGTs within their borders." Euractiv Bayer seeks investor approval for 35% cash call to gird for litigation Bayer will seek shareholder approval to raise equity capital worth close to 35% of its outstanding shares over the next three years to cover possible costs of US litigation, it said, knocking its shares lower. Bayer shares were down 6.3% as investors baulked at the potential cash call's size that would mean future dividends would be divided by a larger number of shares. CEO Bill Anderson has struggled to revive a share price that has plunged by more than 70% since Bayer's $63 billion acquisition of Monsanto in 2018 that saddled it with costly litigation and debt. Reuters reported on Friday that Bayer told US lawmakers it could stop selling Roundup unless they can strengthen legal protection against product liability litigation. Bayer has repeatedly said it is working with farmers' associations to lobby US federal and state legislators. It is also preparing to again petition the Supreme Court for legal protection, following a failed attempt in 2022. Reuters Bayer tells US politicians it could halt Roundup weedkiller sales over legal risks if they don't give it legal immunity Bayer has told US politicians it could stop selling the popular Roundup weedkiller unless they can strengthen legal protection against product liability litigation, according to a financial analyst and a person close to the matter. Bayer has paid about $10 billion to settle disputed claims that Roundup, based on the glyphosate herbicide, causes cancer. About 67,000 further cases are pending for which the group has set aside $5.9 billion in legal provisions. The German company has said plaintiffs should not be able to take Bayer to court invoking US state rules given the federal US Environmental Protection Agency has repeatedly labelled the product as safe to use, as have regulators in other parts of the world. RTE GMWatch comment on Bayer's threat Bayer's threat to stop selling Roundup weedkiller is clearly intended to scare farmers and lawmakers but, as GMWatch commented on X, “Roundup went off patent in 2000 and the National Pesticide Information Center says there are currently 750+ pesticides available containing glyphosate. So farmers could still poison their fields without needing to resort to Roundup — even if Bayer flees the scene.” Bayer’s counter to this point is that they’re making glyphosate in the US (mining in Idaho, production in Missouri and elsewhere), whereas much of the generic glyphosate is produced in China, so suggestions have been raised – via a leafleting campaign of shadowy origin targeting lawmakers – of the Chinese Communist Party taking over essential US farming inputs. The aim of the campaign is to persuade Republicans to support legislation to shield Bayer from lawsuits from cancer sufferers. GMWatch comment; no link in header Argentina goes all-in for GMO microorganisms The Argentine government has been busy authorising GMO microorganisms for commercialisation. Many are vaccines for use on animals but there are also GM yeasts for bioethanol production. GMWatch comment on Argentine government web page We hope you’ve found this newsletter interesting. Please support our work with a one-off or regular donation. Thank you! __________________________________________________________ Website: http://www.gmwatch.org
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