VIB Fact Series on Bananas and GM Food Safety Released

VIB, a life sciences research institute, based in Flanders, Belgium, published two new booklets as part of the Facts Series. One of the series is entitled Bananas: The Green Gold of the South, which elaborates on processes to produce new and improved banana varieties that contribute to sustainable, environmentally friendly, and economically viable agriculture. The booklet highlights the crop's history, its importance to the world's economy and threats to production. It also reviews various biotechnological applications in place that can save the banana.

The other booklet is titled Effect of Genetically Modified Crops on the Environment, which is the second booklet on food safety. It was released to call a halt to the polarized debate on the environmental impact of GM crops and to provide a nuanced response to the many concerns that exist. It highlights that the impact of biotech crops, whether favorable or not, is dependent on the crop trait and the cultivation technique, but not on the breeding technology utilized.

Download the Fact Series from VIB. For more information about the publication, contact Marc Heijde on marc.heijde@vib-ugent.be.