"honduras" news and stories

Last week, I listened to a story on NPR about countries in Central America, notably Honduras, that are turning to genetically modified crops as the global food crisis worsens. Honduras is the only country in Central America that has embraced genetically engineered corn.

Genetically engineered corn is against the law in most of Central America where the crop has been grown for thousands of years. They ban genetically modified organisms (GMOs) to protect their many diverse varieties of corn from contamination. But with the price of corn doubling, Honduras has recently decided to use GMOs.

The food crisis is bringing about a new trend towards genetically modified crops. Egypt just approved GMO corn, and China increased its funding in research on GMO foods. However, this may be a destructive temporary solution. Environmentalists are concerned that biotech crops could damage the natural diversity of plants. These crops are made by injecting new genes that were found in other species. In essence, they're getting rid of previous natural varieties and creating new ones.

What do you think? Should countries view GMO foods as a solution to the current food crisis?

Is it just me or is a lot of food being recalled lately? Or maybe it's just that food has always been recalled, but we're just more aware of the news.

Whatever it is, the most recent news is that the FDA has issued an import alert on cantaloupe from Agropecuaria Montelibano, a Honduran grower and packer. Fruit from this company appears to be associated with a Salmonella Litchfield outbreak in the United States and Canada. Apparently, about 50 people have fallen ill.

I'm not exactly sure what an "import alert" is and whether that's better, worse, or not really associated with a total recall, but if you've got the orange-fleshed melons, check the sticker for the origin, and if there's no sticker, well, when in doubt, throw it out.