Genetically engineered wheat is not approved for sale in the U.S. and many other countries, so it was an unwelcome surprise when a "volunteer" crop of it was found growing in an Oregon field. While major markets for U.S. wheat including Japan, Korea and Taiwan, have postponed imports as they continue to study the situation, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) officials say there is no evidence that the GE wheat entered the market and there is no food safety of public health concern. USDA Office of Communications Director Matt Paul released a June 14 statement about the situation, describing it as an isolated incident. "On May 29, USDA announced that a small number of volunteer wheat plants in an Oregon field had tested positive for genetically engineered (GE) glyphosate-resistant … [Read more...]