March Against Monsanto

Monsanto’s actual history stretched back to 1901 when the original company was founded by John F Queeny who was married to Olga

In December 2014, a Harvard professor wrote an article outlining the many benefits of GMOs (genetically modified organisms) and why it is a good idea to use them. This professor is now surrounded by controversy because he failed to note his connection to the largest producer of GM seeds, Monsanto, who not only told him to write the article but also gave him the major points he was to address. Why was this such a huge deal, and why did Monsanto want a pro-GMO article out there so badly? The GMO debate is largely controversial, but largely misunderstood because of the misinformation given by biased writers, such as John Hibma, a nutritionist and author who wrote the article “More Pros Than Cons.” What many people do not realize is that genetic modification is a serious issue and that articles like Hibma’s fail to disclose the truth about the numerous health, crop, and environmental concerns surrounding GMOs.

Monsanto did not comment on the documentary. A GMO is a genetically modified organism. The organism is manufactured to produce more yield frequently. Without GMO the world would be at a standstill there would be a lack of food across the globe. “Only two percent of the world is in farming, making it hard to produce enough food” (Worland). In the documentary it talks about GMO’s causing cancer that developed in rats that they have tested. Study shows that, “rats are prone to cancer” (Castillo). American Institute for Cancer Research says, “Some environmental pollutants, like pesticides, have been shown to induce cancer in laboratory animals.” GMO’s have long term effects that haven’t been tested adequately. GM foods were created to decrease the amount of pesticides. Instead of using chemicals. Members of the Northern Canola Growers Association express, “GM foods such as BT corn can help eliminate the application of chemical pesticides. Because pesticides are harmful to humans, GM foods are the better solution; they decrease the danger” (Worland). Chemicals and pesticides not only harms the human body, but also the environment. Farmers use chemicals to maintain the shelf life and protects the food. It also pollutes the air, water and soil. Peter Singer a professor of bioethics at Princeton University, says, “five hundred eighty-eight billion pounds of excess carbon dioxide could be sequestered in the soil every year through organic methods.” GMO has been used since the early nineties and have changed the way of farming. Foods that are grown without pesticides and chemicals can reduce the risk of diseases and a clean

Monsanto’s was founded by John F. Queeny in 1901in St. Louis, MO. The first product for the company was artificial sweetener. This open the door for many years of success for the company. The most controversial product that the company produced was called Agent Orange. This product was used doing the Vietnam War. The purpose of the product was to clear some of the foliage in the jungles of Vietnam. The product contained dioxin which was harmful to the U.S. Military Personnel fighting the Vietnam War. Monsanto made a large class action settlement for harm done to the soldiers. That has been the ethical dilemma for Monsanto’s for a long time.

Monsanto Corporation based on my reading is a company that initially specialized in chemical distribution, after years in this industry switched over to biotechnology, or the genetic manipulation of organisms. After years of growth, controversy and legal issues, they still have been able to maintain the company growth and even has now started producing other goods. This paper specifically discusses efficacy of Monsanto’s ethical culture, costs and benefits of growing GMO seed, and management of harm to plants and animals.

In the documentary Food Inc, directed by Robert Kenner, it highlights the perspective of those who oppose Monsanto and other companies that are modifying the food production industry by implementing GMO’s into their seeds. GMO’s, or genetically modified organisms, are living organisms that scientists have in some way changed the genome of to have the resulting organism, such as a seed or crop in the case of Monsanto, express a desired trait. Many think that genetically modifying a seed alters the genes of the plant to the point that it should no longer even be classified as the same plant. Also, many fear the adverse repercussions of consuming GMO’s and the effects that they have on human health. As said previously, one main contributor to

In 2003, Hugh Grant was elected as the CEO of Monsanto. His focused for the company was to apply innovation and technology to make its farmer customers more productive and profitable by offering products that help farmers produce food, fiber and feed. So far, Hugh’s plan have been causing untidiness in Monsanto with all the decisions that has taking place.

The FDA has declared biotech crops safe, even though, stakeholders’ are concern with the toxicity of Monsanto’s genetically modified plants that have the ability of producing its own is Roundup Ready herbicide gene (Ferrell, Fraedrich, & Ferrell, 2015). According to Ferrell, Fraedrich, and Ferrell, 2015, the stakeholders have major concerns with these issues since there is not any real proof that the gene doesn’t have a major effect upon its consumer once ingested (Ferrell, Fraedrich, & Ferrell, 2015). Furthermore, the FDA’s statement that genetically modified foods are healthy for the consumer is not enough to convince the stakeholders when the science of Monsanto process and technology is all so new and young. Thus, the FDA does not

However, opponents argue that the uncertainty of the risks associated with increased consumption and marketing of GMOs can lead to severe health and environmental impacts in the future. Further, there is an ongoing debate as to whether or not multi-national corporations should be allowed to privatize and patent crop seeds on a global level. An example of this is the biotech corporation, Monsanto. Monsanto is opprobriously known for producing genetically-engineered products, and using Intellectual Property Rights to its advantage in order to monopolize crop seeds. Opponents view this as a way for industry to hijack a global common or a public good, which includes any type of food source or seed of a crop. This monopolization has led the

Monsanto Company is the world’s largest seed company. They specialize in genetic manipulation of organisms.

As Monsanto is fighting to gain seed control of the whole world of agriculture by spreading genetically-modified crops across the world (with the support of the U.S. government according to Wikileaks), there is far greater opposition from the rest of the world, where many countries are not only labeling GMOs but also banning their cultivation altogether.

Many people view GMOs as “frankenfoods” and believe that the produce is poisoning them. However, there is a great amount of evidence that can be found to disprove this. Many environmentalists have distorted the public's knowledge of GMOs by only providing information and examples that make GMOs look like a terrible thing. Examples of this include, the crisis in India where they have seen people do not respond well and commit suicide due to “failing” seeds. In addition to this, opponents believe that GMOs can be inked to an increase in allergies. Some opponents also fear that someday the advancements might go too far and scientists may potentially consider using genetic modification to create “perfected” kids. It is obvious that these are very good and reasonable concerns but the benefits of GMOs greatly outway these potential

Genetically modified organisms are crops that have a gene from one organism inserted into the DNA sequence of another organism in order to gain beneficial traits (McWilliams 351). Beneficial traits that may result from the genetic modification of crops include herbicide resistance, insect resistance, or drought tolerance (McWilliams 351). The concept of genetically modifying food is a concept that makes many people skeptical about what is being done to the food that they eat. After careful research, it is evident that there are many potentially harmful aspects of genetically modified organisms. The negative aspects of genetically modified organisms include adverse health effects, their inability to solve world hunger, heavier use of pesticides and herbicides, loss of biodiversity, damage to the small farming business, the fact that the companies that control them have become too powerful, and inadequate labeling practices.

In today’s society biotechnology and food science is constantly evolving and changing. A genetically modified organism (GMO) is an organism that has been modified through genetic engineering techniques. The process of genetic engineering involves taking desirable traits of plants and crops, and combining and crossing the crop to develop new verities. The process of genetic engineering is typically very long, and can take years to achieve (Key et al., 2008).

Monsanto is a company that some people may not be explicitly familiar with on a first name basis. However, the work that the company has done over the last century, with a larger emphasis on its most recent ventures, have been deeply engrained in our lives, our food, and our economy. Monsanto has those who advocate on their behalf in addition to their naysayers. While Monsanto has made huge strides in terms of biotechnology over the last couple of decades, their accomplishments, and the relevant methods, have not been free of criticism and controversy. In order to analyze Monsanto’s corporate environment, it is important to first explore their Strengths, Weaknesses,