Now that I’ve exposed you to the multitude of problems involving Monsanto, I encourage you to take action. Only you can influence congress to make changes in our regulatory systems. This starts with labeling and adequate safety testing. Write to support H.R. 5577 (Genetically Modified Food Right to Know Act,) and the Kid Safe Chemical Act. I’ve included my letter below:
Attn:
Congressman Gary G. Miller
42nd Congressional District
Dear Mr. Miller,
I am a student who cares about what goes into my body and the environment. A year ago, I took the word “organic” with a grain of salt. It seemed like every minute, the media was either warning consumers about food dangers or dismissing them. Like many consumers, I became immune to the food safety debate and continued consuming whatever I desired. It wasn’t until now that I understood the intentional fuzziness surrounding the knowledge of our food source.
A screening of Food Inc. at my university was only the beginning of my interest in industrial food production. I was immediately drawn in by the segment From Seed to Supermarket in which I was introduced to the Monsanto Corporation. I was immediately inspired to conduct further research in which I found some very alarming information.
I have learned that corporate giants such as Monsanto are at the root of several problems which all link together. As you might already know, these include the failure to label genetically modified foods, conducting inadequate safety testing, the environmental and biological impact of industrialized farming, corporate dishonesty, the harassment of small farmers, and a disturbing closeness to the government. I cover all of these topics in my blog Exposing Monsanto: Influencing Congress to Support Food Labeling. I designed this blog especially to influence members of congress who are not currently in favor of H.R. 5577 (Genetically Modified Food Right to Know Act,) to consider changing their minds. As my local representative, this especially concerns you.
It would mean the world to me if you would sit down, read about the consequences of our current regulatory policies and re-weigh the pros and cons. What we decide now determines not just the fate our country, but the world’s safety, health, and well-being. I am unaware of your reason for not supporting the bill, but I hope you think of the long-term consequences of not doing so. H.R. 5577 puts us one step closer towards healthier, more sustainable food for all Americans. I also encourage you to support and spread awareness about the Kid Safe Chemical Act.
I would appreciate at the very least, a response to this letter and some feedback on the topics in my blog. If you end up having a change in heart, please help me spread the word about Monsanto and food reform. It’s through the action of selfless politicians that wonderful things happen. Please think beyond politics and support people like you were elected to do.
“PCBs have caused birth defects and cancer in laboratory animals, and they are a suspected cause of cancer and adverse skin and liver effects in humans. EPA estimates that 150 million pounds of PCBs are dispersed throughout the environment, including air and water supplies; an additional 290 million pounds are located in landfills in this country.” -Environmental Protection Agency Website
I received a link on my post Safe to Eat to the blog of lawyer Steven Jensen who helps defend people faced with the consequences of toxic exposure. The blog talks about Monsanto’s nasty history regarding the creation of biphenyls, or PCBs. PCBs are 100% man-made chemical compounds that were used in electrical insulation and plastics before their ban in 1979. Despite the chemical’s ban, PCBs are still with us because they are unable to break down.
Monsanto and thousands of its unknowing customers dumped tons of PCB-containing waste into our environment. It is everywhere within our air, water, and soil. In 2002, The Independent reported that polar bears have been discovered with both male and female genitals; a defect caused by the transport of PCBs within wind and water currents.
Assimilation of PCBs into the environment according to the EPA:
PCBs effect our future. The following seminar covers how children are being born with PCBs and other chemicals already inside of them.
Ten Americans Seminar
Like the Genetically Engineered Food Right to Know Act, the Kid Safe Chemical Act should be pushed upon congress. It states that chemicals must be proven safe for children those with sensitivities before release into the market. It also assumes that chemicals are dangerous unless proven otherwise (the opposite of our current policy). Find it within yourself to inform congress of your concern regarding the marriage of chemistry and agriculture before its too late.
America was once an agricultural nation. Over the past century, American farming has transformed from a rural tradition to an industrial nightmare. The American farmer is suspect to become a fallen hero beneath the foot of the corporation.
Monsanto has swept the nation by buying out small farms and summoning “gene-police” to persecute farmers who save seeds and “violate” the Roundup Ready patent. These farmers are often victims of cross pollination from Roundup Ready seedlings from neighboring land blowing over to organic farms and contaminating crops. This leaves unsuspecting farmers vulnerable to accusition when they have no control over the situation. When a lawsuit falls upon some of these farmers, they end up settling just to avoid paying for a drawn out battle that they have little chance of winning.
Another reason Monsanto can accuse farmers of violating their patent is by providing evidence that they saved seed for the next year’s crop. Even though this is a normal farming tradition utilized for hundreds of years, Monsanto takes part in making it virtually extinct. Farmers therefore have to waste more resources and spend more money than ever before to keep cash-hungry corporations like Monsanto at bay.
Below is an videoin which Canadian farmer Percy Schmeiser fought in a lawsuit against Monsanto and ended up destroying over 1,000 pounds of his own seed.
The most disturbing aspect of Monsanto’s inspections is the way they execute them. Private investigators are reported to show up at farms in the middle of the night without permission. Some end up returning a year later with results when the farmer was unaware they visited to begin with. Monsanto keeps a blacklist that contains the names of farmers who have judgements against them or have failed to surrender records. If a farmer is blacklisted, they are banned from buying Monsanto products. Because Monsanto has such a powerful monopoly over the majority of seeds, farmers are left without alternatives and are driven out of business.
“They were ex-military, ex-policemen. They were large and intimidating.” -Anonymous Farmer, Food inc.
“Exploitative agriculture offers great possibilities if carried out in a scientific way, but poses great dangers if carried out with only and immediate profit motive.” - M.S. Swaminathan, 1968
The Green Revolution was a U.S. initiative to spread new agricultural technologies to third world nations such as India, Africa, and parts of Mexico. It began in 1943 with the intention for impoverished nations to be able to feed growing populations with better yielding crops. It started with funding from the Rockefeller and Ford Foundations and ended once the biotech corporations gained enough power to patent their products and request payment. What was called the “Green Revolution” was a monoculture that lost centuries of agricultural tradition, destroyed biodiversity, increased costs for poor farmers, and polluted unprepared, underdeveloped villages.
Although industrial agriculture was designed to feed more people than ever before, the adverse effects are devastating. One example is the suicide trend that effected thousands of Indian farmers who have fallen into a loan trap after the implementation of the Green Revolution. Every one of their harvests added to the debt caused by purchasing necessary seeds, fertilizers, and pesticides to keep their farms growing. Crushed by the stress (and often shame,) of not being able to keep up with bills, competitive imports, and demands of their village, many farmers take their own lives.
I Want My Father Back is a powerful documentary specifically focusing on biotech’s impact on Indian livelihood and culture
Food Inc., the inspiration of this blog focused on another important issue closer to home. This would be the cross pollination of GM corn into Mexico. When GMs contaminate the areas in which traditional corn grows, the purchase of seeds and chemicals are necessary to keep at least the new varities alive. This drives the farmers to become part of the biotech machine. Some farmers even purchase imported American corn to feed their families because their own traditional varieties are more expensive to keep.
The following excerpt is equally as important. It reveals how biotech crops drive jobs out of Mexico and increase illegal immigration in the States.
Third world farmers are not the only ones subject to the abuse of Monsanto and other biotechs. Farmers are struggling at home. Find out more in my next post.
Monsanto owns the patent for Roundup weed killer; much like its other products including resistant seeds. Roundup has been revealed as the top reason farmers and agricultural workers get sick on the job. The commercial version of Roundup was never submitted to the EPA for safety testing, however glyphosate alone recieved toxidity class III for oral and inhalation exposure.
Roundup can take up to two years to degrade in soil, and according to the ISIS, is lethal to animal life. Despite all this, Monsanto used to use this copy in its ads:
“Remember that environmentally friendly Roundup herbicide is biodegradable. It won’t build up in the soil so you can use Roundup with confidence along customers’ driveways, sidewalks and fences …”
Monsanto also downplayed or eliminated the results of glyphosate’s toxicity by stating:
“This non-residual herbicide will not wash or leach in the soil. It … stays where you apply it” and ”Glyphosate is less toxic to rats than table salt following acute oral ingestion.”
In 1996, a lawsuit was forged by the Attorney General of the State of New York, the Consumer Frauds and Protection Bureau, and the Environmental Protection Bureau against Monsanto’s faulty ads. Monsanto removed the claims from its packaging and advertising. That same year they released their Roundup Ready soybean for commercial use.
Once again, Monsanto’s nasty history has surfaced. The best way to reduce this corporations power is to make sure our government supports our safety and right to know. Make sure your family and friends are informed and that your representative supports H.R. 5577.
More regarding Roundup advertising:
Up Next: Feeding the World Lies Part 3: The Green Revolution Mask
I responded to some reader comments stating that I would devote a couple of posts to helping them find affordable organic foods. I started my change with Target where I make at least a quarter of my purchases organic each week. Target is great for students because it reduces organic prices by at least 25%. It also seems to have boxed organics on its sale shelf each week. Here are some examples of what you can buy with price estimates:
Taylor Organics: Baby spring and romaine mixes $4.00
Annie’s Homegrown: Macaroni and cheese, canned ravioli and soups, fruit snacks, cheese crackers, graham crackers, and snack mixes $1.50-$4.50
Amy’s Kitchen: Partially organic frozen meals including Indian plates, enchiladas, lasagna, and spinach pockets $3.15
Pacific Natural Foods: Gourmet soups $2.99
Target’s own Archer Farms: Peanut butter, pasta, milk, fruit strips and more
Newman’s Own also has some organic salad dressings and snacks out there!
I encourage any Orange locals to check out the Old Towne farmer’s market open Thursdays near the corner of Chapman and Lemon. I hope that our local representatives recognize the honesty and integrity behind America’s organic farmers. I encourage them to visit their local markets and taste the amazing difference between natural and GM foods.
Up Next: Feeding the World Lies Pt 2. (false advertising)
According to Food Inc., the average American supermarket carries 47,000 products. 70% of this food contains unlabeled GMO’s. It’s becoming increasingly apparent that the “variety” we’re offered is a small collection of monocultures grown from seeds engineered by biotechs such as Monsanto. According to a survey I conducted before the start of this blog, three quarters of the 25 Chapman students pulled were unfamiliar with Monsanto. Over 80% were unaware that 70% of their food contained GMO’s . This is a small example of the general public having little to no idea about the “frankenfoods” they consume. There is a reason for this.
As mentioned in previous posts, US regulatory systems have been intertwined with Monsanto for years. With officials leaking into the system from the 1980′s on, the perception of food normalcy has become incredibly distorted. It was then that the government began comparing the look and taste of new crops to the last version produced. They determined that if these features were “generally the same,” crops would pass the safety test.
According to Peter Pringle, author of bestseller Food Inc: From Mendel to Monsanto- The Promises and Perils of the Biotech Harvest, these flawed “regulations” were a cop out to save time and money. Even though FDA scientists warned something was wrong, the government was unprepared to handle the advanced technology being thrown at them. Increased criticism ultimately influenced Monsanto to push Reagan for some type of regulation (even if it was miniscule,) to ease the public.
What Monsanto Doesn’t Want You to Know
The way Monsanto’s seeds are made Roundup resistant is through bacteria such as e.coli being used as a carrier to invade the plant’s gene with an alien feature (similar to a virus). This might explain the frequent e.coli and salmonela outbrakes in today’s factory farms. If something goes wrong with one plant, the bacteria in it’s run off can spread to others and the animals that feed off them. Another example of the problem with how GM’s are created is that if one part of a plant is naturally poisonous (such as a tomato stem,) incorrect distribution of alien genes can create toxins where they don’t belong; ultimately resulting in unexpected food allergies.
Up Next: Organic Shopping List for Beginners + Feeding the World Lies pt. 2
How can we trust a company with the safety of our food when they don’t conduct or support safety testing before releasing products into the market? To this day, the horrific results of Monsanto’s Agent Orange is seen in Vietnam and among the war’s American Veterans. The chemical is linked to various birth defects and cancers. Studies on its toxic ingredient dioxin were manipualted by the corporation leading to the denial of benefits for veterans suffering from related health problems. How do you think Monsanto would respond if there was a major safety problem with our nation’s food supply?
The World According to Monsanto: The History of Agent Orange
Monsanto has already begun neglecting the results of its findings. The Huffington Post, reveals that varieties of Monsanto’s corn was approved although tests showed organ failure in lab rats. Monsanto immediately responded to the study stating it was “based on faulty analytical methods.”
French scientist Gilles-Eric Seralini discovered more danger in Monsanto’s Roundup Ready soybean. He made a point that Monsanto’s 90-day tests were insufficient because they told nothing about how the soybeans would effect someone over a lifetime. He studied a variation of soybeans resistant to Roundup and suggested a disruption of sex hormones after only a minute of exposure (read more here). According to the Scientific American, so-called inert ingredient polythoxylated tallowamine (POEA,) is deadly to human embryonic, placental, and umbilical cord cells. Almost 4,000 inert ingredients used in pesticides have been approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
“Roundup has one of the most extensive human health safety and environmental data packages of any pesticide that’s out there. It’s used in public parks, it’s used to protect schools. There’s been a great deal of study on Roundup, and we’re very proud of its performance.”
-John Combest: Monsanto Spokesperson
I remember as a child helping my parents garden by sitting on a hill of weeds and hand-plucking them. Back then I scorned at the fact that a canister of Roundup was sitting in the garage, waiting for its bi-annual debut months away. I didn’t understand why my parents refused to use it as often as the advertisements suggested. Now I thank them.
The entire European Union, Austrailia, New Zealand, Japan, and even China require labels on genetically modified foods. As the world’s single largest producer of GMO’s, why doesn’t the United States? Americans demand the right to know what they’re eating. In a recent poll by the USDA and Rutgers University, 89% wants labeling of foods containing GMO’s. I hope our efforts will influence opposing members of congress to support labeling as well.
A cow treated with rBGH.
The food labeling process has become increasingly difficult in the United States. Part of this is because our trusted FDA is slipping under the control of big business and we don’t even know it. A recent flow of politicians have surprising ties to Monsanto and have helped enact many of the labeling policies in use today.
“Agricultural biotechnology will find a supporter occupying the White House next year, regardless of which candidate wins the election in November”.
-Monsanto Inhouse Newsletter October 6, 2000
Micheal Taylor, the FDA’s former policy chief and Monsanto’s former vice president and chief lobbyist was recently appointed as our country’s food czar by President Barack Obama. Marguerite Miller, one of Monsanto’s former researchers that worked on the bovine growth hormone (rBGH,) now works for the FDA researching her own discovery. Other political figures associated with Monsanto include Mickey Kantor, Donald Rumsfeld, Clarence Thomas, John Ashcroft and several others (more info). The FDA fights hard against rBST labels because of political endorsements or business slowing due to consumer concern. More importantly, no label means no traceability.
Labeling has been hard enough for farmers trying to spread awareness about Monsanto’s bovine growth hormone used to make dairy cows produce more milk. The hormone makes their utters over inflate causing lameness, digestive problems, birthing difficulties, and masticus; an infection which can cause pus and bacteria to be pumped into our milk supply. The hormone has not yet been proven to hinder human health, but the effects on the animals should be enough to generate concern. When ex-Monsanto researchers are running our government’s regulatory systems, how are we supposed to trust that their studies are true?
Check out Monsanto’s response to labeling in which endorsor and junk science commentator for Fox News Steven Milloy was revealed as a Monsanto lobbyist.
It seems today that even the most powerful corporations struggle slipping under the public radar. The Monsanto Corporation is a rare exception. Compared to other scrutinized multinationals such as Wal-Mart and McDonalds, Monsanto lacks recognizability. What’s ironic is that Monsanto likely provides the ingredients needed to grow the foods filling Wal-Mart’s grocery aisles and McDonald’s freezers. Hopefully, I’ve caught your attention. Now, allow me to introduce you to one of the most influential corporations of our time.
Opening sequence for Food, Inc.
Monsanto is a multinational agricultural biotechnology corporation based in the United States. It has produced an impressive line of products including saccharin, caffeine, vanillin, salicylic acid, DDT, Agent Orange, aspartame, the bovine growth hormone, and pesticides such as Roundup. Even though Monsanto’s history traces back to largely chemical development, it currently positions itself as a leader in genetically modifying plant cells. In fact, it now produces 90% of genetically modified seeds (GMO’s,) worldwide. These are the seeds of staple crops such as corn, wheat, and soybeans which make up a large portion of our food supply. Monsanto even began utilizing a “green” corporate identity in attempt to shed their previous image.
Monsanto’s corporate identity:
As you will soon learn, Monsanto has a monumental impact on world agriculture, the environment, developing countries, consumer health, choice, and the right to know. In future posts I will outline the negative outcomes of Monsanto’s irresponsible business practices. These include but are not limited to:
US failure to label foods containing GMOs
Lack of adequate safety testing
False advertising
Polluting the developing world
Patenting life
Intentional bullying and buying out of small farmers
I was inspired to research this issue after watching last year’s Academy Award nominated documentary Food Inc.This informative (and surprisingly entertaining,) film rendered an alarming portrait of our food industry that inspired me to spread awareness. As you read through my blog, I hope that you are inspired to do the same and ask your local congressperson to support the Genetically Engineered Food Right to Know Act (H.R. 5577). I will be asking my opposing congressman, Mr. Gary G. Miller, in a future post. For now, I encourage you to make progressive change during your weekly visits to the grocery store. Now let me leave you with some food for thought:
Completely relevant genius child of the day:
Check in next time to learn about my first focus Don’t Label Me.
