Control the Food, Control the World
by: Erin Magennis
The power of food is oftentimes not discussed, however if the people of America knew that the world’s largest pesticide producing company also owner of over 90% of our food, do you think it would be a greater topic of discussion? Well I am introducing just that topic; Monsanto is this company.
In America, I think we as citizens like to think we have near to a perfect competition, but with something as important as our food supply I would think we would be aware of this giant monopolistic entity. 
The original slogan “no food shall be grown that we don’t own” begs the idea that this company, Monsanto, is striving to become a monopoly, and it has taken very big strides. Monsanto currently has 24,574 patents according to the US Patent Collection through an agency in the Department of Commerce. Many of these patents include living things, the food we eat, and often times these seeds have been genetically modified. Genetic modification (GM) often times means new pesticides are incorporated into the gene of the plant, so then we eat the pesticides too. Monsanto has claimed that the advances in technology, through genetic modification of the seeds, will increase supply, however when compared with conventional crop growth the supply curve has not budged, but these chemicals are still part of the plant.
This wouldn’t be quite so detrimental of a fact except that Monsanto was also a large producer of DDT pesticide, PCB’s and Agent Orange herbicide. By the way, Agent Orange is the herbicide sprayed over Vietnam and Korea to destroy the forests during the Vietnam War, although many Vietnam Veterans now receive disability compensation for diseases due to exposure.
Don’t get me wrong there is a great future in the biotech companies, such as Monsanto, and in possibly helping the future food supplies of the world, however that safe future is not yet here. There has been only a single study done on the effects of Genetically Modified Organism (GMOs) on humans, and this study showed these genes, that are not ours, can get transferred into our genes in our gut and live there. We are now turned into a pesticide producing factory. This study was cut short due to participants removal as the results were so negative. The only reason they are allowed on the market is due to no regulatory agency, like the FDA, insisting that the companies tell the government what they are producing for the public to consume. When this rule was put into place, the FDA policy leader was the former vice president for Monsanto. The separation between corporation and government is clearly not very distinct in this market, and this doesn’t further support the idea of a free market in America.
The only thing that could potentially impact the power a company like this has, is the Law of Demand, which has worked wonders in Europe. After the people of Europe had discovered what they were really eating, or discovered that no one really knows what the impact of what they are eating is, they banned GMOs. In a single week in 1999 virtually all major food companies committed to remove GMOs. These companies include McDonald's, Kraft and Nestle to name a few. So while we are back here in America eating who knows what chemicals in our mac and cheese, Europe is actually eating real, natural food.
Monsanto’s history with chemicals like Agent Orange, Europe’s disapproval of genetically modified organisms which makes up over 70% of our food supply, the lack of legitimate studies on the safety of the crops, and the connections with the supposedly “regulatory” agency, the FDA, leaves many unthought about questions regarding our food. Do we really want a company that boasted “no food shall be grown that we don’t own” to control the world by controlling the food? Could America utilize the law of demand, like Europe did, and demand a change in our food? Is it really that bad if a single company patents and controls over 90% of the seeds in the world? How important is it really?
Great video speaking of government ties with Monsanto: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xow6VC851C0
A documentary with more information: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VEZYQF9WlE
Works Cited
"Appeals Court Makes Monsanto Promise Not To Sue Organic Farmers." ThinkProgress RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Dec. 2013. <http://thinkprogress.org/health/2013/06/11/2133121/appeals-court-monsanto-not-sue-farmers/>.
"Compensation." Veterans Exposed to Agent Orange -. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Dec. 2013. <http://www.benefits.va.gov/compensation/claims-postservice-agent_orange.asp>.
"Institute for Responsible Technology." - The World According to Monsanto. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Dec. 2013. <http://www.responsibletechnology.org/fraud/The-World-According-to-Monsanto-September-2008>.
"Monsanto Patents." patft.uspto.gov. N.p., n.d. Web. 8 Dec. 2013. <http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsearch-bool.html&r=0&f=S&l=50&TERM1=monsanto&FIELD1=&co1=AND&TERM2=&FIELD2=&d=PALL>.
"Monsanto Soybean 90%." www.marketplace.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 8 Dec. 2013. <: http://www.marketplace.org/topics/sustainability/monsanto-behemoth-controls-90-percent-soybean-production>.
"Tipping Scale." oxfam.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 8 Dec. 2013. <http://www.oxfam.org/sites/www.oxfam.org/files/rr-tipping-balance-agricultural-investments-markets-061212-summ-en.pdf>.
"U.S. and Monsanto Dominate Global Market for GM Seeds." U.S. and Monsanto Dominate Global Market for GM Seeds. N.p., n.d. Web. 8 Dec. 2013. <http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_28059.cfm>.
"Who We Are." Monsanto. N.p., n.d. Web. 8 Dec. 2013. <http://www.monsanto.com/whoweare/Pages/monsanto-pledge.aspx>.
Repeat of Sites in Different Format
US Patent Collection: http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsearch-bool.html&r=0&f=S&l=50&TERM1=monsanto&FIELD1=&co1=AND&TERM2=&FIELD2=&d=PALL
Monsanto Facts: http://www.responsibletechnology.org/fraud/The-World-According-to-Monsanto-September-2008
Monsanto Pledge: http://www.monsanto.com/whoweare/Pages/monsanto-pledge.aspx
Sueing Farmers: http://thinkprogress.org/health/2013/06/11/2133121/appeals-court-monsanto-not-sue-farmers/
Monsanto, 90% Soybean Production: http://www.marketplace.org/topics/sustainability/monsanto-behemoth-controls-90-percent-soybean-production
Tipping the balance: http://www.oxfam.org/sites/www.oxfam.org/files/rr-tipping-balance-agricultural-investments-markets-061212-summ-en.pdf
I think that it is kind of scary that so many Monsanto employees also have government positions. This could allow these people to set rules and regulations that would hurt their competition and overall benefit Monsanto. Overall this Monsanto control of government positions would most likely increase their monopolistic control of their biotech industry.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with what you said. How can we be sure that Monsanto is following the law when they are the ones making it? This seems like a huge conflict of intrest to me and something should really be done about it. If a company like McDonalds's actually stopped using GMO foods they must be REALLY bad, so why are we still eating them?!
DeleteI had no idea that we basically had no choice when it comes to our food because a monopoly is choosing for us. It is crazy to think that they can genetically alter food just to ultimately make more money when it is truly just causing harm. We aren’t demanding more product or even a genetically altered one therefore there is no need to change those natural foods. I believe it is important for a change to be made with this growing monopolistic company so that we know exactly what we are eating and can have a choice.
ReplyDeleteis it possible that the pesticides within the seeds allow them to plant less crops, which would take up less arable land, which is why production has remained the same? with stronger seeds and less of a need for land we are given more land for development, and need less water to irrigate the fields. i do not believe that these pesticides are related to health problems either, considering nearly everything you consume today has claims that it can cause cancer. Monsanto isn't the one growing the food either, farmers could always choose to sell somewhere else.
ReplyDeleteNo one is forcing these companies to license with Monsanto, no one is forcing farmers to buy Monsanto seeds. But good products cost more, and consumers (farmers and other corporations in this case) are willing to pay the premium that Monsanto charges for good products. Good products cost more. That’s business. That’s how the world works.
DeleteThere is some humor I find in this situation, and that is the complete hypocrisy of the hoards of internet users who rush to vilify Monsanto. How many of the people writing about this company are typing on a computer made by Apple and manufactured by Foxconn? A computer made in factories with such terrible working conditions that Foxconn had to install bars on the windows to prevent suicides due to low pay and illegal overtime. Employees even need to sign away the right for their family or any of their descendants to sue the company in the case of death. I myself am guilty of owning multiple Apple products. I am willing to pay that premium because Apple products are beautiful and functional.
http://www.theaggie.org/2013/01/16/in-defense-of-monsanto/
It doesn’t surprise me that a company has this much power today, despite the fact that there are rules that try to prevent monopolies. Other companies like Apple have so much control of the market despite these rules as well. The fact that a company like this controls what we eat is scary and I believe that we should do what Europe did and put a stop to it.
ReplyDeleteIt's scary to see the dangers of GMOs, and I think that some sort of change needs to be installed so that the food we eat is insured to be safe and healthy. I do not agree with Alec, in his stance that "no one's forcing anybody" and all that, but I think that the problem is that people are simply uninformed.
ReplyDeleteThe slogan itself is shocking to hear. I agree when you say that “No food shall be grown that we don’t own” shows how this company is striving to become a monopoly. It is strange to hear how little control we have when it comes to our food. Personally, I have never went into deep thought about how or where our food comes from, so it is interesting to learn how it is controlled.
ReplyDeleteAs the world population continues to grow, currently it is above 7 billion, there is going to be less aggregate space. More people will require more food. However, the more people there are the less land will be available for crops. It is truly a paradox. This scarcity will be great for business, because with scarcity plus monopoly you can charge what ever you want.
ReplyDeleteYou bring up a good point, though I think the reason that the supply curve hasn't really changed for food is that the pesticides and other genetically modified plants are stronger, more resistant to strains of disease and can grow faster. As these foods are grown quicker, and we don't need any more food, more farmers are put out of business.
ReplyDeleteI was very surprised to hear that " the world’s largest pesticide producing company is also owner of over 90% of our food." I had no idea that Monsanto was putting pesticides into our food just to help themselves out by making more money. I think that we should do what Europe did and ban all of their products and start eating healthier food.
ReplyDeleteWhile it is true that Monsanto used to produce Agent Orange, it doesn't actually impact any of the article. Putting that in as support for why we shouldn't "trust" Monsanto is like saying that we shouldn't trust High School Chemistry teachers because they know how to make meth. In addition to this, the article is more geared towards going against a company that, as you mentioned, grows 90% of the food we eat. While we do not truly know what the effects of eating the GMOs are, the science behind it is sound. Without GMOs we could have a flash freeze wipe out our corn crop simply because no one wanted to have a more durable strain of genetics introduced to our crops. In addition to this, GMOs could be the key to being able to grow crops year round. GMOs shouldn't be boycotted for anything simply because of an "I'm afraid of the dark". Instead, we should push to have more legislation passed so that companies are required to release information detailing how the new strains of crops would affect it as well as an analysis on possible negative effects. From an economic standpoint, we realize that the global population is growing rapidly, possibly faster than we can produce. So with that in mind, we should remember that the demand for food will rise as we welcome millions of new mouths to feed.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading this, I'm interested in learning what else we don't know about that has a huge impact on us. I didn't know anything about this company, so this was really interesting! Their slogan is very dictatorish and sounds intimidating! I agree that they shouldn't be in charge of all of our food production if that's their goal. You did a good job applying it to economics at the end too.
ReplyDeleteWith all of this information being known why is it kept on the down low instead of letting America become more aware. If everyone was more aware of the harm being done then maybe a stand would be taken and something would be done. And if they don't then I could see American's that actually care finding a way not to purchase the goods with the pesticides on them and then the company would have less demand and too much supply, they'd ultimately lose businesss and diminish to nothing. Hopefully.
ReplyDeleteFood depletion was used frequently during wars like World War I and the Vietnam War. Bombing crops seems like an outlandish attack on the enemy, but it is the perfect decision because it doesn't kill anyone and makes the enemy surrender. Although many people believe this is unethical even for war times, I believe it is more justified than killing people in cold blood. Nonetheless, if you can control food supply during times of war, you've pretty much won.
ReplyDeleteThis article is extremely shocking in multiple ways. First of all, the dictatorship of Monsanto is unfair but so well unknown. I think it's important to get that under control, as it goes against the values the US economy was built upon. It makes me wonder what other secretly powerful companies exist. Secondly, the pesticides in food is disgusting. I'm hearing more and more about organic foods and veganism and while I had never paid much attention to those things before, they seem to be more frequently justified through articles like this. Following Europe's example seems to be the right choice, in my opinion.
ReplyDeleteNot surprising that a company wants to make a monopoly on food. But what surprised me was the fact that Monsanto used to producing Agent Orange which was used in the Vietnam War. Following the GMOs this could be the key to being able to grow crops year round. But overall the article was very interesting and well put together.
ReplyDeleteI was really surprised to find out actually how much control they have, and how the simple things they do can affexct us so heavily. You are right, something needs to happen to regulate this. What do you suggest? I agree with Alex, there are many other compainies that have control over the market, despite all the laws we have to try and prevent things like this.
ReplyDeleteIt seems like this company would have a hard time becoming a monopoly or being big at all because of the huge health kick in America, people are trying to get organic food items which doesn't include pesticides at all. With the seeds being genetically modified, the pesticides are in the seeds from the start and are in no way organic and would not seem like a very profitable company.
ReplyDeleteWow, I never knew. I don't think I like that they basically own us. We need food to survive, and they own almost all of it! Once a company gets that large, we are left nearly defenseless. They have control of us, and we don't even know it. I wonder what else we don't know about the products we consume and the life we live here in America. It is also surprising to hear that they are a pesticide company that genetically modifies their food. Personally, I don't want to be consuming that kind of food -- but unknowingly I already inevitably am. This was a very interesting and good article to bring up, thanks.
ReplyDelete