19 Sep The Truth About GMOs and Monsanto

Genetically modified foods aren’t just taking over the food system.  The company Monsanto, who has spearheaded genetically modified foods on this planet, has more of an affect on each individual’s life than we realize. They have a strong hold on creating new genetically modified foods and seed patenting, while controlling the price of corn and soy.  They also have serious campaigns against food labeling and snuffing out local farmers.  Many of their high-ranking staff has an overlap with the FDA and other sectors of our government and media. Check out these two diagrams outlining some of the overlaps in both the government and the media.

Before we go too far, let’s start out from the top. It is a common misunderstanding that genetically modified organisms are created in a similar way to plant breeding. The process of creating GMOs is actually much different. The desired trait, most commonly pesticide (round-up) resistance, is embedded in a virus (usually E. Coli) and then physically inserted into the nucleus of the cell of the plant or seed. There have been very few publicly peer reviewed studies on how this modification affects the human digestive system. Many of the studies that have been published show that when ingested by rats, GMOs can cause cancer, tumors, and internal bleeding among other things.

Monsanto has also spent millions and millions of dollars to make sure that any products that have genetically modified foods in them are not labeled. The American consumer doesn’t even have a choice on whether or not they want to eat this wholly un-tested food substance. Countless other countries all over the world require labeling and some have gone so far to ban them completely from being grown or consumed. They are still completely legal and not labeled here in the U.S.

The inherent nature of creating a new plant form lends itself heavily to patenting. Monsanto has spent who knows how much money creating new GMOs and wants to make sure they have the rights against anyone using them without paying. This makes sense right? But wait, it doesn't make sense to sue local farmers who are not even trying to grow these GMO crops in the fist place.  Monsanto is constantly hounding farmers who may have anything growing on their property that belongs to Monsanto with out having a permit. Here is one case of this happening. Many more situations just like this one happen all over the world. If any seed from a near by farm blows onto the property of another non-Monsanto seed growing farm and starts growing, Monsanto then has the right to sue. Even if this happens completely on accident, they can still sue the owner’s of the farm for growing unauthorized patented seeds. These suits frequently put the farmers out of business. Monsanto is systematically driving out local farmers, and gaining better control of the market.

The lifespan of this company also has an exceptionally disturbing past. It has created and spread agent-orange, a carcinogenic and now banned substance called PCBs, the foliage destroying round-up (which is in fact not bio-degradable as they have so fervently claimed), Bovine Growth Hormone (rBGH), and many more chemicals. A company who claims their mission is to feed the world through science certainly hasn’t had a supporting past of keeping people alive and healthy. There are countless situations in which many of their chemical plants have not operated according to regulation, letting these chemicals seep into the water table. Thousands have contracted multiple forms of cancer and other obscene diseases because of the practices of Monsanto. Monsanto has no history in creating food related products.

If you want more information about all of the injustices created by Monsanto please go to the screening this Saturday of the documentary ‘The World According to Monsanto.’ You can find the details list on the AEN calendar.

If you want to take direct action by learning about local food, how to avoid GMOs, and take direct activism workshops please check out the Farm and Food Leadership Conference this Sunday and Monday in Bastrop.