Originally published October 23 2014
The three-pronged strategy that will prevent Monsanto from ruling the world
by J. D. Heyes
(NaturalNews) No question that biotech and BioAg giant Monsanto is a mega-corporation with lots of cash and lots of power, but that doesn't mean that it will rise to rule the world, in a manner of speaking.
That issue was addressed recently by Living Green magazine, which noted that "the issue of how we grow and process our food, while it's always been important, is now a hot topic both at the kitchen table and on Wall Street."
The magazine said that the recent scandal about a chemical used in yoga mats that found its way into Subway bread -- which Natural News has covered extensively -- and the rising awareness of GMOs, especially the push to have them labeled, means that "the public is fast awakening to the need for safe, whole, natural nourishment."
The magazine further reported:
In early May 2014, the stock price of Whole Foods Market (WFM) dropped about 20 percent in 24 hours, based largely on fears that Walmart and other grocery giants will overtake WFM's share of organic food sales. The number of equity funds looking to invest in the next Annie's or Clif Bar is astounding. Astute investors now understand that food impacts not just waistlines but bottom lines.
'Who decides?'
What is obvious but left unsaid is that agriculture, not transportation, is the greatest global contributor to greenhouse gases, a fact which is regularly misrepresented or simply glossed over. The mainstream media routinely fail to mention the three most pressing food issues: connections to changes in climate; vast subsidies that taxpayers provide to corn, soy and wheat; and the massive increase in the use of Monsanto's Roundup, despite its human health and ecosystem impacts.
The magazine said that central points of the conversation should include questions like "How do we grow our food in a more sustainable way?" and "Who decides?"
"Should America lead the world in turning over our heritage of ancestral seeds to Monsanto or DuPont for them to patent as intellectual property?" asked the magazine, especially in light of the companies' history of "making lethal war chemicals, creating toxic manufacturing sites that leak carcinogens into disadvantaged communities everywhere" and unduly influencing government agencies such as the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Agriculture, as well as influential members of Congress and the White House.
There is some good news, however. On May 8, via a law signed by Gov. Peter Shumlin, the state of Vermont became the first in the country to require labeling of GMO foods. Now, the Grocery Manufacturer's Association (GMA) has already challenged the new law in court in what is expected to be an epic legal battle of, essentially, the people versus corporations. Those supporting the GMA include some usual suspects: Starbucks, Kellogg's and General Mills, among many others.
The three factors working against Monsanto
So, what can be done, in spite of Monsanto's "death grip" on the world's food system? Important progress is already being made in three key areas, Living Green reports: (1) public education via social media, which is (2) leading to wiser food choices and (3) more sustainable investments:
All great movements begin at a grassroots level. Think of the civil rights sea change in the 1960s: the government acted to pass the civil rights bill only after the people had reached a tipping point about racial injustice. Having started in a similar grassroots fashion, the organic food movement is now well on its way to changing the food system worldwide.
That said, the folks of the '60s weren't nearly as good at creating propaganda as Big Ag is, which pushes these three huge lies: that GMOs will feed the world (safely), that organic agriculture can peacefully and productively co-exist with GMO crops, and that Roundup-tainted GMO foods are proven safe commodities.
"Although tens of millions of Americans might not understand all the complexities," said Living Green, "they have a gut sense that something is very wrong with our food system, and little faith that Monsanto should be in charge of a baby's nourishment. They can't help but wonder how much Monsanto herbicide content in a mother's breast milk is safe."
Move over, Monsanto; the world strikes back.
Sources:
http://livinggreenmag.com
http://www.naturalnews.com
http://www.naturalnews.com
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