Midway Through the Month Without Monsanto

Natural Foodlist checks back in with April to get an update on how her Month Without Monsanto has been going so far….

SJ: So. You are halfway through your month, and a bit famous Your project has been covered by the Huffington Post and a number of other sites. First, let me say congratulations, I thought I was pretty up on my information about Monsanto but I have learned a lot!!! Second, what have your readers and participator’s reactions been as they become more informed about Monsanto?

DÁVILA: I think most people have been surprised to learn about Monsanto’s expansion into the organic sector. Through my research I’ve been shocked to learn just how much Monsanto really does control our food supply. While I don’t see a cause for panic, it does raise a lot of questions for me, and I am excited to see talk of antitrust investigations appearing in publications like the Wall Street Journal.

SJ: It seems that you have uncovered a wealth of information about Monsanto and organics, which as an avid organic consumer I found extremely interesting.  I noted that in responding to you, a lot of companies were quick to stress that their products were in no way tied to Monsanto.   Is Monsanto’s reach into the organic industry something that should garner concern?

DÁVILA: In the past two weeks I’ve had to talk a lot of people down from near hysteria. Organic is still organic, even if Monsanto does supply the seed that is planted in the ground. The last thing I want to do is frighten concerned (and often overwhelmed) shoppers away from organics. The only reasons Monsanto’s expansion into the organic industry should be a cause for concern, in my opinion, are those of economic and political origin. Any company that controls our entire food supply has a tremendous amount of power.

That being said, I have been incredibly encouraged by the willingness of organic companies to help me trace their seed sources. The best example is Annie’s, Inc. Their CEO John Foraker emailed me personally about their products and then took the time to trace back every ingredient in their organic Macaroni and Cheese to confirm that it in no way owes it’s existence to Monsanto. It was no small task, given that there are several ingredients. It’s this kind of commitment to transparency that gives me hope.

SJ: Monsanto is frequently vilified in the media, and you mentioned in one of your posts that your purpose was not to further that aim, but to inform others about the company and their goods.  Now that you’ve completed a couple of weeks of research, has your opinion about Monsanto at all changed?

DÁVILA: Even after all my research, I maintain that Monsanto is just a company, and that like any other company their goal is to make money. Claims that they are out to control the world still seem far fetched to me, but after doing a lot of reading I do have a better understanding of why people fear and vilify them. From Iowa to India, Monsanto’s focus is so tight on profits that they either don’t see or don’t care about the havoc that they leave in their wake (be it destitute communities in Gujarat or cross pollination of organic and GM crops here in the states.) If they refuse to act responsibly it is up to us as consumers to let them know we will not support their products. As Michael Pollan says, we all get a vote, three times a day. The best thing any of us can do is to get informed and know where our dollars are going.

SJ: Thanks again for your wonderful information and for taking one for the team in your efforts to bring awareness to the various issues surrounding Monsanto and GMO foods.

DÁVILA: It’s been a real adventure so far. I can’t wait to see how the next two weeks unfold.

About Shannon Johnson