Levon Minassian

Students and members of the public gathered on the UC Berkeley campus on March 13 to learn about how the world’s food supply will have to change to be able to support the nine billion people projected to populate the planet in 2050.

If passed, Assembly Bill 199, the “Choose California” bill, would mandate that state institutions purchase foods from California farms so long as their prices are not more than 5 percent more expensive than identical items from outside the state.

For more than 30 years, UC Berkeley has been at the forefront of GMO research and development. Many faculty members have been divided between work to bring genetically modified products to the marketplace and attempts to challenge their dispersal in the environment.

The campus celebrated the national event founded by the Center for Science in the Public Interest for the second year in a row, though it was organized locally by Cal Dining’s Sustainability Team for the first time.

Stanford University nutritionists released findings that showed nonorganically raised fruits, vegetables, animals and animal products are no less nutritious than organic foods and that they did not have significantly higher pesticide residues.

The Berkeley City Council seat representing District 3 is up for grabs this November, over which 25-year-Berkeley resident Dmitri Belser will be pitted against current incumbent Max Anderson who has held the seat since 2004.