"A group of environmental and public health groups sued the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Thursday, seeking to set aside the agency's approvals for feed additives containing ractopamine that are used to boost the weight of cattle and pigs."

"The U.S. Food and Drug Administration does not perform enough pesticide residue tests — on either imported or domestic foods – to say whether the American food supply is safe, according to federal auditors."

"A Maui County ban on genetically modified crops pulled off a stunning turnaround late Tuesday night. After trailing by 19 points in the first two printouts, the ballot initiative took the lead, passing by more than 1000 votes."

"Appalachia may be one of the poorest regions of the U.S., but when it comes to heirloom crops, it's got the riches."

"Biotech and supermarket giants are spending more than $25 million to defeat ballot initiatives in two western states that would require labelling of foods containing genetically modified organisms."

"The pork-loving state faces challenges in protecting water from contamination."

"Minnesota regulators, for the first time, are considering banning or restricting a controversial class of insecticides that have been linked to honeybee deaths."

"Salt residue from soil irrigation degrades around 5,000 acres of farmland every day at a global annual cost of $27 billion dollars in lost arable revenues, according to a study released Tuesday."

"A coalition of U.S. farmer and environmental groups filed a lawsuit on Wednesday seeking to overturn regulatory approval granted last week for an herbicide developed by Dow AgroSciences."