Even by the standards of an industry that claims to be able to end hunger, prevent environmental catastrophe and bring prosperity to the developing world, it must have felt like a breathtakingly audacious move.

The House of Commons is continuing to bar genetically modified food from its restaurants and cafés, despite a drive by ministers for the technology to be more widely accepted.

If you run out of things to talk about with friends, mention that you can’t get a tomato that tastes like a tomato anymore. People’s eyes will light up in recognition. They will tell you that they have been disappointed by tomatoes and tricked by tomatoes. Tomatoes at the supermarket look just like tomatoes — red, firm and juicy, and some even have little pieces of vine attached, a particularly authentic touch.

Eight years after genetically modified Bt cotton was introduced, following which 10,172 farmers killed themselves, state agriculture minister Ramakrishna Vikhe-Patil told dna that it was a mistake.

Today UK environment minister Owen Paterson called for Europe to "find a way forward for GM", but with so many European countries opposed to genetically modified crops, what are his chances of changing the status quo?

DEFRA Secretary Owen Paterson’s views on genetically modified crops could set Westminster against the Scottish and Welsh Governments.

Both administrations are opposed to the technology and have taken steps to prevent it being grown in their countries.

Ever heard of the World Food Prize? It's sometimes called the "Nobel Prize for food and agriculture," but it has struggled to get people's attention. Prize winners tend to be agricultural insiders, and many are scientists. Last year's laureate, for instance, was , a pioneer of water-saving "micro-irrigation."

This year, though, the World Food Prize is likely to get some publicity, some of it in the form of anger and protests. The prize will go to who played prominent roles in creating genetically engineered crops: Marc Van Montagu, Mary-Dell Chilton and Robert Fraley.

I am a mom with two young children living in Columbia Falls. I, like most moms, work hard to make good choices about the food I feed my family. But I am growing increasingly angry that corporate food giants are refusing to label just what is in the foods they are marketing to all of us, and rather heavily to children.

Today the trial against 11 activists who targeted a GM potatofield 2 years ago has seen a restart, following the heavy default sentence that was given on 12 February. The 11 activists were convicted to time in jail, for being part of a criminal gang (some with and some without probation), without any of their witnesses having been heard. Their participation to the non-violent action and debate on 29 May 2011 was thereby criminalised. This conviction poses a dangerous precedent for all forms of civil society action.

Protests against genetically modified food grow in Russia after WTO ascension. Yet some scientists insist there are no large health risks. [...] Valery Glazko, who is in charge of Centre for Nanobiotechnology at the Russian State Agrarian University, says that thanks to GMO technology, we will finally be able to feed the world and a new generation of more intelligent people will appear. “If a pregnant woman is not getting enough food, then her haemoglobin levels will drop. Her baby will be born and have every chance of living a full life, but he or she will not be able to make decisions. The baby will adapt, but its brain will not develop in the correct manner,” he says. “GMO is our saviour.” [...] “Hunger is the flip side of terrorism. We are faced with a choice: cannibalism or GMO.”