We had a big win against Monsanto recently when the DARK ACT (Monsanto’s favorite bill that would effectively ruin the food supply and halt GMO labeling initiatives) was stopped cold in Congress. Make no mistake, though; Senator Debbie Stabenow has been working overtime to make sure that you won’t know what’s in your food.
The world is already well aware of the many nasty effects of pesticides, but in missing its own risk assessment deadline in 2015 for atrazine, glyphosate, and imidacloprid, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency sends a clear message to those concerned about biological diversity and human health. If the EPA isn’t doing the business of pushing biotech’s agenda, the agency isn’t interested in protecting life.
Dow Chemical and DuPont are to merge under a $130 billion deal, only to split into 3 independently-traded companies: one in agrichemicals, one in specialty products, and one in materials science. [1]
Is the merger between Dow Chemical and DuPont really the breakup of some of the Big Six agrichemical giants, or just a form of musical chairs meant to confound farmers and anti-GMO activists around the world?
There’s a reason that Monsanto recently made a suicide bid for its competitor Syngenta’s business. The company continues to lose profits, with the latest numbers painting a continued stark financial picture for one of the most hated companies in the world. [1]
The number of countries saying NO to GMOs is growing as more nations express their desire to protect their territories from biotech’s greedy hands. In a meeting held in Bern, Switzerland on December 18th, 2015, the Swiss Federal Council decided to extend the country’s moratorium on the cultivation of GM seed until at least 2021. [1]
Crystal Sugar Company CEO, David Berg, isn’t having huge success in the sugar business lately. Though sugar prices remain high, his company and others face ‘serious roadblocks’ due to the anti-GMO movement (aka demand for Non-GM) and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, who wants to dispose of government assistance to sugar.
No one can argue that 2015 was a rough year for Chipotle. Five outbreaks of foodborne illness have struck the Mexican restaurant franchise since October, giving a bad reputation to a food chain that is going the route of healthy and GMO-free (at least on the surface).
Here’s a timeline of Chipotle’s nightmare:
A Beijing, China-based agritech company, Origin Agritech was planning on launching China’s first seed company on its home turf, but with the country feeling uneasy about biotech seed sales, and the recent news concerning Monsanto’s RoundUp containing a likely-carcinogen, Origin will test its seed technology in the US instead. [1]
On Monday December 21, students from Livingston High School joined Dr. Shiva Ayyadurai, an American scientist with a PhD in systems biology from MIT, to debate the ‘safety’ of GMO crops. Monsanto was invited to come and prove that there are indeed GMO safety assessment standards, and was even offered a $10 million enticement to send representatives to argue its side. But the company was entirely absent from the event. [1]
Agricultural leaders aren’t giving up on the fight to halt foods from being labeled if they contain genetically modified ingredients. Even though the bill that would have ruined GMO labeling initiatives across the country was stopped dead in its tracks in Congress, leaders say the issue of GMO labeling will be ‘top priority’ when they get back to work in January.
