Would you like to live next to a Monsanto field?

The book, like the film of the same title, provides unpublished documents and first-hand accounts by victims, scientists and politicians, and clearly lays out how the industrial giant has lied, colluded with the American government and used extreme pressure tactics on scientists in order to gain market supremacy. (Today, the US company's genetically modified organisms (GMOs) represent 90 per cent world GMO crops, have been planted in over 46 countries and threaten to destroy the agricultural biodiversity that has served mankind for thousands of years.)

It's not that worrying trends like global climate change and the current global food crisis can be blamed entirely on Monsanto. It's just that anyone still naive enough to think that multinationals have our back, or care one fig about the environment, has his head in the sand.

Monsanto has long argued that biotechnology is the solution to hunger and environmental contamination, and for many in the scientific community and in politics during Bush senior's tenure, that may have been the hope. Yet the Monsanto company profile has never been trustworthy. They've manufactured some of the most toxic products ever marketed, including PCB and Agent Orange. They've also managed to bury all the evidence that proves the toxicity of their products, some of which are unauthorized in Canada and Europe. To make matters worse, the company has become the leading manufacturer of GMO seeds and aims to take possession of (and patent!) the world's crop seeds (yes, all those fundamental to the world's food supply). They've also managed to bypass (or buy out) all their friends in government (or hire them!) as well as at the FDA (Food and Drug Administration in the U.S.), who've yet to subject these supposed miracle crops to rigorous independent testing or safeguards.

Surely, this doesn't bode well for us, or our planet, when a company's greatest crimes can somehow turn into their best-kept secrets for pulling off world domination (a.k.a. market supremacy). Be damned the notions of food safety and the ecological balance of our planet!

The film's simple investigative style and its rich array of expert talking heads lend it, and its findings, gravitas. The film is far from fancy, but the basic question is simple: Can we really afford to trust a company like Monsanto to safeguard our world food supply? There can be few surprises left in the answer.

If you're feeling the weight of the world on your shoulders and want to do something about it, make sure to check out Green Screens, a weeklong environmental event organized by the NFB featuring screenings, discussions and workshops. From May 26 to 31. For more information and to screen other NFB films about the environment online, go to www.nfb.ca/footprints.

The World According to Monsanto

 
 

		Write your comment on this article!

Our Leader's legacy     I and many of our friends have been following Monsanto for some time now. What has disturbed us the most is that Monsanto has, with the full support of our US administrative and Legal System, been allowed to proliferate their GMO's without any controls or accountability. The fact that they have been able to patent not just the genetic processes but the offspring of their tampering with the seeds of our survival is just mind bogling. The US has many times in the past thwarted domination of any one sector by a predatory company. It is scary how much Monsanto has gotten away with with no accountability. Our seed crops are in serious danger and yet our leadership seems quite willing to ignore the threat. If someone can stop the patents on the GMO's then it will follow that Monsanto can be held accountable for the cross contamination of our food supplies and potentially stopped. A great article, good reporting. Thank You.
Richard Carpenter		May 23rd, 2008
chilling''     Each one of us,must help keep our food sourse safe,
catherine madden		October 29th, 2009
i'm so glad info. about GMO's has not died     keep up the good work. everyone needs support . when it just seems like i've been defeated their is always a reason to get up and fight again. fighting for this cause is like eliminating HITLER. I don't know if some people are misinformed, don't care, or are to busy but, it is time to show this film about GMO's and Monsanto. I will be excited to view the tape. I have thought about somehow getting someone like Angelie Jolie to play the role because if I had just one minute with her I know she would be passionate to play the part. This exposure is great and it is about the world's patriotism and freedom of voice to express the chilling facts about GMO's. Again, keep up the good work and GOD bless everyone that really cares enough about health and life. I was very niave myself to think America is producing food that is safe. We as Americans and all over need to keep that burning passion to inform and help those who can't. I feel blessed to help others and inform them even if i get the door slammed on my face. I did go to Waterford, Wi school district and talked to the principals etc.. but, their seems to be a lack of interest or should i call it denial. Thanks Greatly.
jennifer pokorny		September 8th, 2008
Beware the Grim Reaper     Marie-Monique Robin's book and documentary is the result of three arduous years of research the dark veil of mystery behind the world's largest seed company. Casual consumers would be familiar with their RoundUp weed control product, their artificial sweeteners saccharin and ( previously ) Nutrasweet, Agent Orange and PCB Former employees among those presently working for the FDA and EPA include Supreme Court justice Clarence Thomas. The book portrays some of the dark sides of genetically modified seeds. Like the astounding Terminator seed which produces plants that creats sterile seeds thus requiring farmers to purchase seeds every year. Or the case of Posilac, which is a bovine growth hormone that increases milk production. It is illegal in most of the world with the exception of the US. Monsanto is presently lobbying to ensure that milk that does not use BGH is not allowed to advertise that fact on the cartons in the US. From soybean crops in Argentina, to cotton fields in India to the townspeople in Anniston, Alabama....Monsanto is bringing cheer and goodwill to the world!
Reuven De Souza		May 22nd, 2008
Genetically engineered foods are Poison!!     Genetically engineered foods are Poison!!
Arthur Tesla		May 22nd, 2008

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