With genetically modified (GM) foods dominating the United States' corn and soybean
crop today, Monsanto - the company most responsible for GM foods - has also dominated most
of South Africa`s seed crops as well. As reported by Barbara Minton here at Natural
News in April, a huge crop failure there is directly attributed to this lack of seed
diversity. So how do Americans, and people world wide, fight back against this takeover of
food sources by GM foods? To
answer that, the GMOs themselves
as well as the way the company who makes them operates should be understood. That will
show how real, grassroots, actions that everyone can participate in will work to stop this
monopolization of the world's food.
How GM Foods and GMO Works
The most common modification that Monsanto makes
to seeds is to create HT-ready crops ("herbicide tolerant" crops).
These are crops that are
able to withstand Monsanto`s other product, RoundUp, to a strong degree. This increases
crop yield by allowing the farmer to spray liberally with the RoundUp herbicide to kill
weeds and some parasites.
The problem? Well, obviously, all that spraying can`t be good for anybody. It also is
severely destroying seed diversity in the agricultural markets - over 90% of American
soybean crops are now genetically modified organisms (GMO). About 70% of our corn crops are also GMOs.1
Now that Monsanto has a virtual monopoly on those seeds, they`ve announced that they`re
raising seed prices by up to 42%, as reported in Bloomberg on August 13.2
Further, as Ethan Huff
pointed out in his article here at Natural News, there is plenty of reason to question
the health problems
associated with GM crops.
Currently, Monsanto is working to corner the market on GMO wheat crops in the U.S. If
their progress there is anything like it`s been with corn andsoy, they could hold 70% or more of the
seed market within fifteen years.
Most of the reasons for not liking GMO crops have been outlined already, but for more
information, you can check the Natural
News archives on GMOs here.
Monsanto`s gangster tactics can be seen in the documentary movie The World
According to Monsanto by Twilight Earth.3 This is how they`ve gained their
monopoly.
Fighting Back Against Monsanto and GM Crops
First and foremost, stop financially supporting Monsanto as much as possible. This means
scouting out and avoiding GMO foods on
the grocery store shelf, not buying Monsanto`s products, and more. As Shelly Roche of
Bytestyle.tv says, "Vote With Your Fork!"
Shelly has a Roundup Challenge
in which we the people can fight back by not purchasing Monsanto`s number one consumer
product, RoundUp. You can find out
more about that here. She also has a
short list of ways to identify GMO foods in the grocery store so you can avoid
purchasing them.
The Institute for Responsible Technology has a No GMO Challenge you can
participate in right now as well as a convenient 9-page guide you candownload
or order in print for helping identify GMO foods and food sources in products.
Finally, both of the current "Food Safety Act" bills in Congress are extremely
GM-friendly and should be opposed for that and many other reasons. They`ve been covered
well by Ethan Huff here at Natural News: Food Safety Health - Food Safety Freedom
These are the easiest ways you can participate in fighting back against GMOs. Spread the
information about GMOs to as many people as you can and participate in local food markets
and other sources of non-corporate food production.
Working together, everyone in the world, not just Americans, can fight to keep food and
nutritional choices in our own hands and not at the mercy of bureaucrats and Big Agra. (Natural News,
8.25.2009, Aaron Turpen) http://www.naturalnews.com/026908_food_GMO_Monsanto.html