The World According to Monsanto

The World According to Monsanto

2008, Environment  -   501 Comments
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Ratings: 7.37/10 from 683 users.

Monsanto (now merged with Bayer) is a the largest agricultural biotechnology company in the world. They are also the planet's leading producer of genetically modified organisms, or GMOs, a process that promotes the manipulation of traits which naturally occur in plants and crops. Ever since the company gained government approval for their first modified soybean in the late 1990s, a public debate has persisted as to the potential health hazards of GMO products.

The feature-length documentary The World According to Monsanto provides a comprehensive overview of that debate. As detailed in the film, Monsanto has long been steeped in controversy. During its earliest incarnation at the start of the twentieth century, the company manufactured a series of products which were eventually deemed unacceptably toxic in their applications, including the DDT insecticide, Agent Orange and polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB).

Monsanto produced the latter in the town of Anniston, Alabama for nearly four decades. When Anniston residents began to link the chemical to increased incidents of cancer, retardation and a variety of other chronic illnesses and abnormalities, they successfully sued the company to the tune of 700 million dollars.

The film spends much effort in exploring the dangers of Monsanto's most profitable product - Roundup, a herbicide that has proven enormously popular in both homes and agricultural communities for its ability to kill weeds. The filmmakers discover that the company was reprimanded twice for false advertising in claiming the product was biodegradable and friendly to the environment. Many concerns persist regarding its potential long-term effects on the environment and human health as proper testing has never been officially sanctioned.

The film places the blame for this squarely at the feet of the United States government and its most influential policy makers. Monsanto wields great influence in Washington, DC, and the filmmakers accuse those in power of being susceptible to the company's strong-arm bribery tactics.

The World According to Monsanto ultimately suffers from its central framing device, which consists of filmmaker Marie-Monique Robin sifting through Google search pages to find the next lead in her investigation, as well as its one-sided view of the issue. But the evidence it does offer provides much food for thought.

Directed by: Marie-Monique Robin

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Dav
Dav
7 months ago

JW.ORG is the only solution. Peace . Dan 2.44!!

Toby
Toby
1 year ago

Unless you're fluent in French, don't become invested in this film. After 30 minutes it's dubbed over in French. Subtitles are not available. Pitty.

Isabelle E Jarrott
Isabelle E Jarrott
3 years ago

Thank You.

DustUp
DustUp
5 years ago

FIXING MONSANTO, the easy way:

There is one relatively easy way to end Monsanto's evil reign. Pool the donations from billions of people for the cause of buying 51 percent of Monsanto shares. Then put all their people to work making natural organic farming helpful items. If you don't keep them busy and earning an income, they will just go to work for some other similar evil corp.

Like usual the real problem is us. Not taking advantage of such relatively easy fixes and just carping ad infinitum about bad things instead of lifting a finger to fix it. We have the know how, we have the ability, we have everything but the will. We are our own worst enemy.

DustUp
DustUp
6 years ago

If it doesn't say "NonGMO" or "Organic", don't buy it. That is a definite solution.

With GeoEngineering / Chemtrails you have no choice, it just keeps coming. At this point it is far more dangerous than GMO. You will have to take direct action in a massive group effort to stop it. That massive effort, if it ever were to be organized and occur, would be to contact all legislators and congress people of your districts and tell them in no uncertain terms they will be ousted if they fail to stop the GeoEngineering / Chemtrails in 60 days. If they fail to do so, start recalls on ALL of them. This would be a very simple and easy thing to do if it weren't for the laziness of the wimpy citizenry who forever listen to the fake news and propaganda and claim they don't have the time but continually waste gobs of time on various ridiculous things including doing nothing.

Regarding GMO, if you don't buy it, the rest of the farmers will have to grow NonGMO. That is the power you have. Vote with your wallet. If you whine about it costing more, unless you are completely broke, you are likely wasting much more on something stupid, like GMO beer, GMO chips, or whatever.

Evil men and women hide behind a paper structure called a corporation. The structure itself in its original inception was beneficial, to organize to build roads and other public works. Weasel judges allowed weasel lawyers to corrupt the corporation into the status equal to or above humans that it is today.

To the libs who suck up the fake education and fake news. Corporatism and corruption is not Capitalism, however, corruption IS an inherent part of Socialism and the whole purpose behind it, to eliminate competition for the big boys. The same people behind monsanto are pushing socialism, and you the useful idiots, if not buying into one, then the other, which will make the rest of their plans MUCH easier.

Clearly a bought and paid for weasel judge ruled against any logic, reason, rhyme, precedent, and existing law, to give monsanto the rights to the other farmers crops that it infects. That would be like giving Typhoid Mary the rights to anyone she infected. Like giving whoever invented AIDS, the rights to who ever became infected with it.

Any court that allowed that ruling to stand, including the Supreme Court, if it got that far, is a corrupt and therefore invalid court. You don't have to accept corruption. It is similar to a serviceman following illegal orders which go against the code of conduct. If they disobey they risk court martial and the end of their career. If they obey, they risk court martial and the end of their career. However, if they gather together as a Platoon and say no, sir, that is wrong but here is what we suggest in that regard, with your approval. No ego maniac authority likes to be told a flat out no. If you divert their attention with a solution you are far better off. As far as civilian courts, you will also have to gather together to twist the elbows of your legislators and congress to pass a law negating any rights monsanto has to anything including its corporate status since at the very least, it is against the public interest.

The problem is us. We fail to see to it wise decent incorruptible people are running for all offices. from all parties, in numbers, with one term limit to lessen the corruption. When the possibility of a lifelong career in politics no longer exists, a fair percentage of the corruption will go away. Whether demon rat or repuklicon most are bought and paid for.

To the wonderful sweet person who explained that humans are too many and monsanto is simply getting rid of them: Please show us you believe what you say and get rid of yourself as to lead by example and save monsanto the trouble. If the "people" at monsanto also believed in what they are doing, knowing it is causing leaky gut syndrome due to the inherent gut eating pesticide Genetically put into the crop, they should be forced to eat it in prison.

If you don't see to it, it won't happen.

nele
nele
7 years ago

the GENE GUN ! !! ...... . . AhahahahHAHAHAHAh..... the gene gun....

Sally
Sally
7 years ago

The Jews did it. How original Are you anti-semitic commenters off your meds?

Andrew
Andrew
7 years ago

Jesus F*&^$&#* H Christ! This is a f&*^$&*# disaster! How the hell does this horrible company still exist?! Oh that's right.. because of evil, selfish, power hungry, money obsessed ass&*%$# who hold on tightly to the ingenious concept of legal slavery. Own the peoples food and you control the people. Just like money really. What a sad sorry state of affairs we live in.

To all involved at Monsanto. Karma exists and your day of reckoning will come. Be it in this life or the next. Your fault

Ron Wylie
Ron Wylie
8 years ago

Why are we allowing this!, we all have people elected to congress, we should all be pestering them to stop these greedy madmen.

It's real simple, STOP THEM then jail the people who were bought by this evil company

Long
Long
8 years ago

I love how they claim that this is "SCIENCE", yet they are changing the definition of "science" to fit their own interests. Science is using ALL the data you find and creating a conclusion from it. As soon as you remove the data that does your interests harm, you are no longer using scientific techniques.

Terry Oleary
Terry Oleary
9 years ago

its the way it goes the people don't care if they did this wouldn't be happening

g.beneteau
g.beneteau
9 years ago

There is a special place in hell reserved for the CEO of this hellish company. It represents all that is evil and corrupt in our society!! You and your family are less than speck of dirt to this company. GREED!!!!

Samantha Braun
Samantha Braun
9 years ago

I wonder how much people get paid to fight with other people on message boards? Just sayin' because propaganda and rebuttal work in all directions. I would like a GMO label on my food, bare minimum--so if Bt has been genetically splatted into the thing I'm supposed to think is food, I don't have to buy or eat it. But that's because I have a gut--and insecticidal "food" has no place in my gut (or anyone else's--it can stay in the dirt where it's good at doing it's ecological thing). And if it's been doused with Round-up, I can leave that on the shelf too. Sorry, just my "scientist" opinion--but I'm entitled to it ;)... and I'm entitled to keep my gut lining intact and biochemistry happy ;).

a_no_n
a_no_n
10 years ago

hooray, more pseudo environmentalist lies about GM.

I look at the anti GM crowd in the same way that i look at the anti vaccine crowd...the results of their lies are just as devastating and just as misinformed.

Yes Monsanto is a big evil company...you can thank neo-liberalism for that...It's right wing politics that have deregulaised the industry to the point where one major company can call all the shots.

But the anti GM crowd are also to blame for monsanto's success.

After all, so many people shouting MONSANTO at the top of their voices...you literally couldn't pay for advertising like that...the assault of misinformation on GM has also pretty much made it a toxic asset for any other company to try it's hand in, so thanks to the anti-GM movement, Monsanto will forever hold the monopoly on GM.

I always find it funny when anti-GM protesters call GM "Frankenfoods"
Afterall, Frankenstein s monster was the innocent creation of a man trying to cure death with science, a creation that was hunted down by an ignorant torch wielding mob who didn't care what it was or what it meant, but just knew they didn't like it.

the irony is obviously lost on the thousands of gm protestors who have never seen Frankenstein.

FERENC CSICSERI
FERENC CSICSERI
10 years ago

How could this be a chemical company become the one who control our food .what is the big question what they eat the peoples who works for Monsanto they poisoning everybody and hands and hands with the FDA creating Healthcare so the pharmaceuticals can make some money as well but why poisons why can they just create good old fashion medicine .the healthy world is not profitable the botom line is we let them do this

Guest
Guest
10 years ago

This documentary is too one-sided, and desperately needs to research the benefits of Monsanto in order to make a more conclusive argument
.

Farseer Nobundo
Farseer Nobundo
10 years ago

Just require ban on patents on genes - it will be great step forward.

Prof. Juan Manuel Alonso D.
Prof. Juan Manuel Alonso D.
10 years ago

Unless MONSANTO, or any **** like that for the matter, can prove it's able to make dna or a single genome just out of the blue, I can't see how they can claim any patent rights over nature's creation and forbid humans to grow plants or raise animals on their own in a natural way as they please. Those Monsanto c**** et al. can only have the power we all allow them to have, and we all have allowed them excessive power so far. And you don't have to take my word. Just read some history from the XVIII century, what peasants and farmers and the poor people did to the power in France and the reason for that, or what your direct ancestors from the seven original States did to the Brits and the reason for that. Read "Common Sense", "The Crisis". I'm pretty sure Thomas Paine and the like would have some words to say these days. Different times, different outfits, underneath-the-skin similar situation: the intention of a few to control the very lives of the majority. Back then, the people had the guts and did what they had to do. Do we have the guts? Are we really gonna let them? If we are, then we have no one else to blame. Just to start fighting back, get a restrain order so as not to permit Monsanto's seeds "fly away" to anybody else's lands and contaminate. That is "clear trespassing", and if Monsanto can't help that from happen, so they shouldn't be allowed to grow any **** in the open, or anywhere at all.

Bradley James
Bradley James
10 years ago

Plant your own organic garden = starve the beast

steve
steve
10 years ago

How funny are you people, I take none of you are farmers, much less know how to work for a living its really easy to judge. However the fact is that in the United State we have some of the cheapest foods prices in the world and can provide more food on less acreage than needed 40 years ago. What Monsanto and other companies have done is help provide methods to help farmers get the highest possible production on less land so that all you need to do is go to the grocery store and buy the food. Ramble about this all you want but hate the company if you want, but before you go any further learn how hard it is to produce the the food that feeds a nation of ungratful people.

Israel Castro
Israel Castro
10 years ago

how are we let tin a company who developed agent orange and produced napalm to kill thousands of innocent people make "fertilizers" for our food? how are we letting them genetically modify our foods , take the blindfolds off people and do something .

Jc Perez
Jc Perez
10 years ago

It may be a bit too late to stop this giant evil though.

Cortnie Geringer
Cortnie Geringer
10 years ago

Okay friends, what SHALL we do then? How does the average citizen battle this evil? If we grow our own organic food, raise our own livestock and we still can't trust our own food because it could still be contaminated...then what??? This is freakin SCARY!!!

Jimmie R Meadows, Jr
Jimmie R Meadows, Jr
10 years ago

national security is more concerned with snowden than the evil giant Monsanto? poliyicians need to speak up about what would happen if Monsanto goes offline? is there enough vacant land and seed to replant quickly and insure americans wont starve?

Catharren
Catharren
10 years ago

monsanto = genocide. Now you know why they bought the blackwater mercenaries and changed the name of the company twice hoping nobody would notice. IDIOTS!!

Anonymous
Anonymous
10 years ago

Goodbye indigenous people and free thinkers, hello brave
new world. thanks a lot to Robin et al., if you used to own your own home garden and you and your loved ones developed cancer, this rings a bell. they can't blame it on misapplication because even when one follow the rules, it kills bees and deadens the soil. There's a distinct look and odor, and the soil remains so dead for nearly a year. The pity is that some children don't recognize it (it can be mixed in with mulch). BG investing in a seed bank in Iceland conveys how ruthless the intentions of M is. He knows nothing about farming or anything else close up about poor person's lifestyles, since he never completed college, experienced the struggle, or understood how small farmers have long offered variety to the world in europe, east europe, africa, many other regions. No, this is not the way to go, and Monsanto can chink chink chink all it wants...that's all it translates to. No remorse, no reflection, like the movie picture Dorian Gray.

kristin
kristin
10 years ago

Nevermind. I see its u.s. markets.

kristin
kristin
10 years ago

So, if monsanto is controlling the populations of the world, why , then, is China so overpopulated?

Clark Sullivan
Clark Sullivan
10 years ago

Please do not feed the trolls. Anyone who knows anything about the pricks at Monsanto should be aware that they feed the trolls to provoke you into wasting your time.

Linda Mitchell
Linda Mitchell
10 years ago

What an eye opener this is.

Maddestmax
Maddestmax
10 years ago

In hundreds of cities, millions marched to protest Monsato's greedy Frankensteinesque assault on nature. You did not see this on the news. Wierd or what.

David D Stanton
David D Stanton
10 years ago

Why's it french? I dont trust the french, I dont trust a country that would let the Nazi's just walk in with only a hand full of freedom fighters trying to fight against them. I think the french need to sort themselves out first before they go trying to mess with the big dogs little frogs.

David D Stanton
David D Stanton
10 years ago

I'm all for GMO, but the US government needs to tighten down hard on the dumbass activity of Monsanto and companies like them.

Sonya Savoy
Sonya Savoy
10 years ago

Monsanto is run by black man

Bungaroosh
Bungaroosh
10 years ago

Isn't capitalism just wonderful.

anna miller
anna miller
10 years ago

In addition to a seed-grab, Monsanto is patenting a seed which will not absorb aluminum. Geoengineering is now happening as we are being sprayed with aluminum, barium & other chemicals through chemtrails, supposedly to mitigate global warming.
Watch "Why In The World Are They Spraying?" on Top Documentary Films.

beccadoggie10
beccadoggie10
10 years ago

Let's fast forward to April, 2013. If GMO's are so good, and the companies creating them can be trusted, why was the Monsanto Protection Act inserted as a rider into legislation to keep the government running by Monsanto benefactor, Senator Roy Blunt, from Monsanto's home state of Missouri? The rider will protect Monsanto from the U.S. Supreme Court, the Court of Appeals, the USDA and any other oversight agency they do not totally own. They own the FDA!

Both novel biologic pharms and GMO's in food are recombinant DNA has are basically not regulated. People are dying from some of these drugs, and overtime, more will die. From the foods grown with GMO's, there creating huge tumors in livestock, lab animals, and possibly in people.

Patients take biologic drugs can develop the same side effects gastroesophageal reflux disease as those eating GMO foods. Symptoms include erosion of the esophagus, internal bleeding, inability to swallow and more.

Animals are becoming sterile after eating GMO corn. Good news is when they eat organic corn (if it can be found), the side effects disappear. But Monsanto working with the USDA has put Roundup Ready corn and Roundup Ready soy in National Wildlife Refuges around the USA. This is not for the wildlife, who refuse to eat GMO's. It is to contaminate all soy and corn, even those grown by backyward gardeners.

disqus_vOFD1oV9sP
disqus_vOFD1oV9sP
10 years ago

you guys are all i*iots, monsanto is a successful company and you are all jealous. These small organic companies are trying to mire the name of monsanto in order to make themselves appear better. Monsanto is innocent to most of these claims, Judge Thomas is one of many who oversaw the law to label GM foods

Aitch Slavic
Aitch Slavic
11 years ago

People have to find out about Monsanto. It is literally criminal what they are doing and the way that they own the government.

fed up
fed up
11 years ago

Thank you for this detailed report. I hope everyone passes this film on to everyone they know.

Dana Lee Blackwell
Dana Lee Blackwell
11 years ago

This is scary stuff. I support labelling, and I also support the complete ban of all herbicides, pesticides and gmo crops and gmo products. I also support accountability! We must hold these people and these corporations accountable for their actions.

My Bond
My Bond
11 years ago

What is next? An oil company overseeing our water supply? A sewage company making our breakfast? Unbelievable-How a POISON company is running our food supply! We need to STAND UP and join forces and fight this!
Don't belittle how much power our voices and especially social media has!
Write your senators, protest and bury your newspapers, magazines and television networks in emails asking for
more stories on G M O's and Monsanto/FDA bond!

organicmaven1
organicmaven1
11 years ago

Monsanto is evil and I do believe as another post stated that their time is coming and they will be a victim of their own greed. There is only one way to stop Monsanto and that is to hit them where it hurts - their bottom line. If you stop purchasing GM food, buy organic, grow your own food and start community gardens, they will get the message. Then we have to make the FDA responsible and put the health of the nation first. Thank goodness there are some individuals such as those in Health Canada that spoke up for what is right. Monsanto must be stopped because it is their goal to control the masses. If they own all the patents on the seeds and every farmer must pay royalties, the small farmers will become extinct. They are trying to enter every area of our lives with their biotechnology. Of course, it has backfired on them as well, but it is not Monsanto that suffers, but the small farmer. You don't f--k with Mother Nature because she is unforgiving. It is called evolution and you can see it everywhere today. Superbugs that have evolved that no antibiotic can kill, so the infected individual dies. Bed bugs have evolved and are resistant to the pesticides. The Monsanto GM corn yields are down because the bugs have evolved and become resistant to the pesticide. Go on, keep experimenting and introducing new products so that it will speed your demise. There are native seed stores that you will never get your hands on and there is an awakening and enlightenment starting that is going to hopefully bring about your demise sooner rather than later.

rannotmethinks
rannotmethinks
11 years ago

As much as I hate monsanto; I also hate all the braindead, zombie sheeple, who are totally apathetic, indifferent and complacent, when it comes to this sort of thing and support these evil corporatios!. Keep laughing - ten years from now, when you won't be able to buy REAL food unless you're part of the ELITE!

fairylake
fairylake
11 years ago

Monsanto is a corporation, in a capitalist society corporations aspire to the profit motive, unfortunately Monsanto practices this to an extreme. Part of the blame for Monsanto becoming this Darth Vador is the apathy and ignorance of the general public. Until that changes, the Monsantos of the world will not.

Herkimer Snerd
Herkimer Snerd
11 years ago

This video has been stolen by a hypocritical, greedy a**hole trying to make scab/leech money from the anti-GMO community. His mane is Jeffery Smith, and he is no better than Monsanto, trying to put toll gates on the GMO information highway. Talk about cutting off your nose. What a tool.

Xaka León
Xaka León
11 years ago

What a crock of crap Paraguay has convinced themselves to eat. The government does not have to authorize anything it doesn't want to authorize. And, the authorization of GMOs only allows Monsanto more room to expand. Sounds like Paraguay's government is corrupt in certain areas.

Joe Mitchell Gann
Joe Mitchell Gann
11 years ago

i dont claim to know everything but i do know a little bit about this subject.i dont know about the effects of geneticly modified foods but i do know about roundup ready crops and the purpose they serve .first of all roundup is monsanto's brand name for glyphosphate , the patent has run out and you can purchase it much cheeper under different names. their seeds however are still under patent , so i would guess thats why they are so bullish on recovering loses on cleaned seed.they have twenty years to do so i believe.the purpose of a glyphosphate ready crop is that it allows you to plant without tilling the soil.that means less fuel burned ,less equipment wear and tear ,less labor , most important no topsoil lost to erosion and a healthier soil.if a farmer wants to plant a corn or soy bean crop that is not glyphosphate ready he can have at it but his product will cost more at the grociery store. in response to the biodegradable question i can only say this.i sometimes use glyphosphate to kill weeds where i am going to put in a hayfield the next spring if glyphosphate was not biodegradeable would anything grow back.there are lots of herbicides that are restricted in their use because they do have a soil life but glyphosphate is not one of them.

Joey Tyke
Joey Tyke
11 years ago

Two points that people keep seeming to overlook:

1. You cannot simply "just not eat GMO's". If you watched the documentary and paid attention, then you would remember the part about the FDA making it ILLEGAL to distinguish between the two. So a company that uses GMO's cannot label their products as "GMO's", but more importantly, companies that do not use them also cannot claim to be GMO free.

This obviously benefits the people who make and promote GMO's as many people would not buy those products.

2. Looking at the trend, eventually there will be no "non" GMO food. The cross breeding / deliberate attempt to contaminate natural farmers fields with GMO's threatens all foods grown from seeds. If we simply turn a blind eye now, the damage will be done by the time we realize what is going on, and the clock will not be able to reset.

**** Monsanto... It is time to put human kind first and stand up to multinational bull****.

The bottom line is, any corporation or company or business, especially one that is as big as Monsanto, and involved in such a potentially harmful technology must provide 100% transparency or else they are crooks, liars, cheats, thieves, murderers etc etc

svendutch
svendutch
11 years ago

Why is everybody so upset with the money they make, that is the core of every business! You should be angry on your government which doesn't govern, corrupt and regulate.
I don't like GMO but fortunately I can choose what to eat. This is something most people on this planet can't do