Will GMOs ever be banned? And if so, how will it happen? These are the questions that I am asked by thousands of concerned eaters on a routine basis. They are great questions, and ones that require a bit of explanation to truly ‘answer.’ As part of a new Q&A video series, I delve into the question and detail the factors that are required for Monsanto’s GMOs to hit the ‘ban’ list in the United States.
In order to delve into the possibility of a full-fledged ‘ban’ on GMOs, of which biotech juggernaut owns 90% of the GMO seed market, we first need to establish a limit or ban on Monsanto’s Roundup — a glyphosate-based herbicide that we already know is linked to cancer. Even the World Health Organization has now joined us in declaring that Roundup is, in fact, generating disease through the contamination of the water supply and general use.
Already, other countries and international retailers have begun limiting the sale of Roundup amid the reports. One of the most recent and most notable bans was just announced by the French government, which has banned the weedkiller from its garden centers. As The Independent tells us:
“France has announced a ban on over the counter sales of a brand of weedkiller from garden centres after the active ingredient was classified as “probably carcinogenic to humans” by the UN.
The UN’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classified glyphosate in March as “probably carcinogenic to humans,” and is the active ingredient in Roundup.”
Truly, the precedent has now been set. Now, if we can take this action inside the borders of the United States, we can set a precedent. A precedent that Monsanto’s creations are in fact inflicting disease upon the public. Then, we go further, and prove that the company knew of these effects before or during the sale of Roundup. Then, we have something to really help make way for the ban of Monsanto’s GMO seeds.
Because if we can show that Monsanto has no problem launching a product that has been linked to cancer by an independent scientific agency, then we can demonstrate that its GMOs and other products should certainly not be trusted. Then, maybe the USDA won’t be able to give them special ‘speedy approval‘ and dismiss its safety testing.