gm.org
Yes you did read that correctly. Google it if you want. Monsanto won this year’s World Food Prize. A prize that most equate to a nobel prize. I am absolutely disgusted by this news. I posted a Facebook post about the new and also shared a website where you could go and sign a petition begging for the World Food Prize board to rethink giving this prestigious award to Monsanto.
Of course there are always two sides to every story. Some scientists, food critics, politicians and general public subscribe to the thought that Monsanto has helped with feeding the world and some of the same types of people, including me, feel that Monsanto has destroyed our food chain and contributed to more disease, environmental damage, ecological damage and is a company that we all should be worried about.
So what do you have to do to win the “nobel prize” for food? According to the world food prize.org, the website for the prestigious prize, all you have to do is “advance human development by improving the quality, quantity or availability of food in the world.” Further on the list of criteria the award “recognizes contributions in any field involved in the world food supply” and “emphasizes the importance of a nutritious and sustainable food supply for all people. By honoring those who have worked successfully toward this goal, The Prize calls attention to what has been done to improve global food security and to what can be accomplished in the future.”
Wow, sounds pretty lofty. My first reaction to the news that Monsanto had won this year’s prize was to get on line and follow the money. It’s pretty easy to find a trail in the case of Monsanto and the World Food Prize. In a recent civileats.com article, author Doug Guiran-Sherman highlights how much “big ag” and “big food” money goes into sponsoring the prize. The New York Times also published an opinion piece that describes how Monsanto has given close to $5 million to the prize. So you can imagine that when asked about the donations and the fiscal backing, the World Food Organization says that the money has nothing to do with deciding who is to be awards recipients. Ok of course they are going to say that, what else to you expect them to say?! They will not be biting the proverbial hand that feeds them! But for me it brings three words instantly to my head… conflict-of-interest.
I am just blown away that Monsanto would win this prize. I can’t even imagine honouring a company that is so blatantly destroying the environment with pesticides, herbicides and all sorts of chemicals that are harming our everyday life. Do a little research and see how Monsanto crops are affecting the bee population and you can’t tell me you haven’t heard about that recently in the news. Our bee population is declining at a rapid rate due to the “neonicotinoid insecticides” that are used in growing Monsanto corn seeds. The manufacturers of those insecticides, Syngenta, whose lead scientist Mary-Dell Chilton, was one of the three to recipients of the world food prize this year. If you think that this all stinks to high heaven, you’re right and I agree.
So let’s go back to the criteria for winning the World Food Prize and examine just how Monsanto and Syngenta have “improved global food security”. I don’t want to sound any alarm bells but I’m pretty close to it… this is not good. I think that biotech is really starting to upset the apple cart and if we are not more careful about what we eat and how we grow what we eat, we could be in for some scary things in the future. Which is why I raised the issue of the Monsanto protection act in a recent blog. That agricultural bill that was signed some 6 months ago in the US pretty much alleviates Monsanto of any future legal action should we discover medical issues in humans as a result of their crops and agricultural practices. They essentially have free reign. That, to me, is quite scary. Thankfully, they have since rescinded the law (just this past September) hopefully because people want to hold Monsanto accountable but who knows. Maybe the realize that government should be run by people and not corporations.
We need to do a better job of eating real food, food that is organic, grown in ways we understand, not genetically manipulated or altered to withstand pests and probably nuclear war at this point. Going organic may be more expensive but the only way to fight back against “big ag” is to get them where it counts, the bottom line. The more people pass up on genetically modified foods, the more real food gets back into the system. The more people walk passed the foods from the USA at their local Fortino’s, Loblaws, Longo’s, Sobey’s, Zehrs, IGA, etc, and ask for and demand local Canadian organic produce, the better off we are. I hear this a lot at my cooking classes “organic is too expensive”. Well in some cases yes it is and my question back to you is “aren’t you and your family worth it?” Take some time and do some research on local organic crop sharing programs. Quite a number exist where you pay a certain fee and each week you receive a basket of fresh, local and organic produce. If that isn’t your thing, consider growing your own. There are a lot of people I know who are digging up their own gardens and planting and preserving the fruits of their labour. It’s a great way to know what you are eating.
Please don’t think that because we live in Canada we are immune from this because we are absolutely not immune. Next time you go for groceries, check out just how much of your produce and meat comes from the US. Then consider that they have dominated the world with GMOs and that 80% of processed foods from the US contain GM ingredients. Take a look at this article on the potential hazards of eating foods that have been altered by science. It is alarming and the scary part is that we don’t get to even know about half of what happens to our food. There is a lot of talk of “conspiracy theories” out there and I think one of the biggest conspiracies is how “big ag” is affecting our food and growing practices. It comes right down to cash. So follow the money trail and see where it leads and then tell me if you feel that companies such as Syngenta and Monsanto deserve the World Food Prize.
