Each week, Food Tank is rounding up a few news stories that inspire excitement, infuriation, or curiosity.
FDA Approves Gene-Hacked CRISPR Pigs for Human Consumption
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the use of a gene-editing technology designed to produce pigs resistant to porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS).
PRRS is a highly contagious disease that causes fever, respiratory distress, and reproductive failure. It also weakens pigs’ immune systems, making them more vulnerable to secondary infections that often require antibiotic treatment. PRRS increases antibiotic use by over 200 percent, according to an Iowa State University study.
Researchers at Iowa State University describe PRRS as the “most economically important disease” affecting pig producers. The disease caused USD$1.2 billion per year in lost production in the U.S. pork industry from 2016 to 2020, an 80 percent increase from the prior decade.
The decision is among the first approvals for gene-edited livestock in the U.S. and comes after years of extensive research and collaboration between Pig Improvement Company, a subsidiary of the animal genetics company Genus, and the FDA.
Conflict and Extreme Weather Worsen in Central and West Africa
The World Food Programme (WFP) warns that the number of people struggling to meet basic food and nutrition needs in West and Central Africa could rise by more than 40 percent this year. Roughly 36 million people are already at risk, and projections show it could exceed 52 million during the June–August 2025 lean season.
The U.N. identifies conflict, climate shocks, and economic hardship as the main drivers of rising hunger. Conflict and displacement have uprooted over 10 million people, cutting off access to food and livelihoods across the region. Food inflation is surging, and floods have impacted more than 6 million across the region this year alone.
“We are at a tipping point and millions of lives are at stake,” says Margo van der Velden, the WFP’s Regional Director for West and Central. She adds that without immediate funding, the agency will need to scale down programming even further, and calls on governments and partners to invest in sustainable solutions that build long-term resilience and reduce dependence on aid.
A Possible Belém Declaration on Climate, Hunger and Poverty
During the upcoming 62nd Sessions of the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Subsidiary Bodies in Bonn, Brazil will propose the formal action agenda for the 2025 United Nations Climate Change Conference, COP30. The final agenda is likely to include a declaration on climate, hunger and poverty, according to the Irish Times.
Held annually in June, the Bonn conference serves as a mid-year meeting ahead of COP where delegates from nearly 200 countries gather to advance the implementation of international climate agreements. The results of the negotiations in Bonn are highly influential on the language, frameworks, and political consensus that lead to the final agreements reached at COP.
The Irish Times reports that a Belém declaration on climate, hunger and poverty, building on the Declaration on Sustainable Agriculture, Resilient Food Systems, and Climate Action from COP28 in Dubai, is likely to be among the key elements of formal action agenda for COP30. The Declaration, which emphasized the urgent need to integrate agriculture and food systems into climate policies to boost resilience, reduce emissions, and ensure food security, received signatures from almost 160 nations.
COP30 President André Corrêa do Lago has already indicated his intent to turn previous COP decisions into concrete action. In two public letters, do Lago calls for a shift from negotiation to implementation. The first letter urges global mobilization through a “Global Mutirão”—a collective, grassroots-driven effort to accelerate climate action, while the second outlines four focus areas: global action, the formal negotiation track, the Action Agenda, and a Leaders’ Summit. The letters also introduce four new Circles of Leadership to amplify voices from finance, Indigenous communities, former COP leaders, and ethics-based stakeholders.
IFAD Launches Project to Help Libyan Farmers Address Water Scarcity
The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) have launched a new project in cooperation with the Government of Libya that aims to help alleviate water scarcity in rural communities.
Titled the Resilience to Negative Impacts of Climate-Aggravated Water Scarcity in the Agriculture Sector in Libya (RENEWAL), the US$9.2 million project marks IFAD’s first investment in Libya. The project aims to help 57,000 smallholder farmers and pastoralist households in arid regions extend their water supplies and build their resilience to climate change.
As covered in Food Tank’s newsletter last week, droughts affect more people globally than any other natural disaster. And UNICEF predicts that by 2040, one in four children will live in areas of extremely high-water stress.
IFAD reports that Libya is in urgent need of support to make the most of their water resources. As one of the world’s driest countries, the country may be unable to provide water to their people in the future. While prioritizing social inclusion, the project will focus on improving water and soil management, assessing climate vulnerability, and capacity building for local communities.
Fishers Respond to Deregulation
President Trump recently issued an Executive Order lifting fishing regulations in protected Pacific waters, drawing praise from commercial fishing groups and criticism from conservation groups.
A key component of the America First Fishing Policy, the Order aims to strengthen the U.S. economy and commercial fishing industry which, the White House says, has been disadvantaged by overregulation and foreign competition.
Some fishing groups and policymakers have celebrated the move. Patrice McCarron of the Maine Lobstermen’s Association praised the administration’s “commitment to reduce burdensome regulations,” while Lisa Wallenda Picard of the National Fisheries Institute in Virginia called it a “thoughtful, strategic approach” that could help sustain the industry. Republican policymakers also welcomed the rollback, with Governor Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) citing relief for lobstermen and Representative James Spillane (R-Deerfield) praising expanded ocean access for fishermen.
But some fishers and conservationists warn the rollback could accelerate overfishing and undermine fragile ecosystems. Matt Weibe, a commercial salmon fisher with more than 50 years of experience, said the order “terrifies” him. Weibe cites worries that the change will push well-managed fisheries like Bristol Bay toward collapse, as fishers saw in New England with cod fishing. He adds that “conservation efforts mean we and our kids can fish into the future.”
Conservation groups echoed Weibe’s concerns. “These executive orders don’t loosen red tape—they unravel the very safety net that protects our oceans,” said Beth Lowell of Oceana. David Henkin, an Earthjustice attorney, described the area now open for fishing as one of “the most pristine tropical marine environments in the world that already faces dire threats from climate change and ocean acidification.”
According to a White House spokesperson, President Donald Trump is expected to sign another proclamation rolling back prohibitions on commercial fishing access at a marine monument off New England.
FDA Stalls on Food Safety Warnings
The FDA has stalled the public release of over a dozen food safety Warning Letters after recent layoffs disrupted the agency’s review and redaction process, report NBC and Bloomberg.
When the agency identifies what it believes are significant violations of federal requirements, they issue a Warning Letter to the offending company. FDA’s Human Foods Program then reviews and redacts the Letters before they’re posted to a public database. But the review and redaction process was halted in April after the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services laid off staff that handled the agency’s public records.
The unpublished Warning Letters cite federal violations such as a seafood company’s failure to follow botulism prevention protocols, misleading health claims made by a supplement seller, and poor contamination safeguards at a sprouts producer.
The FDA continues to issue Warning Letters and recalls.
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Photo courtesy of Dibakar Roy, Unsplash
