Problems With Genetically Modified Organisms
Monsanto Seed Corp.
To understand the problems with the Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) Foods one must first know of a company by the name of Monsanto. Monsanto was founded in 1901 in St. Louis, Missouri. The company’s first product was the artificial sweetener saccharine, which it sold to Coca-Cola. At the start of World War I, company leaders realized the growth opportunities in the industrial chemical industry and renamed the company The Monsanto Chemical Company. In 1964, the company produced its first Roundup herbicide1. This successful product propelled Monsanto into public consciousness. During the 1970’s, Monsanto encountered a major legal obstacle. The company had produced a chemical known as Agent Orange. This chemical was used during the Vietnam War, to deforest thick Vietnamese Jungles. Agent Orange contained dioxin that was a carcinogenic which caused cancer in many Vietnam Soldiers2. The company changed its name back to Monsanto Company and tried to rid out …show more content…
In 1994 Monsanto was selling soybean, cotton, and canola seeds that were engineered to be tolerant to Monsanto’s Roundup Ready herbicide. Roundup Ready seeds allowed farmers to use the herbicide to eliminate weeds while sparing the crop3. Unfortunately, for the public, there was no affects studies required to be conducted on the effects of killing these other weeds. This is discussed later in this document. Today Monsanto Company is the world’s largest seed company, with sales over $10.5 billion. It specializes in biotechnology, or the genetic manipulation of organisms. Monsanto scientists have spent the last few decades modifying crops, often by inserting new genes or adapting existing genes within plant seeds with the thought of producing larger yields, hardier plants, and Roundup
To understand the problems with the Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) Foods one must first know of a company by the name of Monsanto. Monsanto was founded in 1901 in St. Louis, Missouri. The company’s first product was the artificial sweetener saccharine, which it sold to Coca-Cola. At the start of World War I, company leaders realized the growth opportunities in the industrial chemical industry and renamed the company The Monsanto Chemical Company. In 1964, the company produced its first Roundup herbicide1. This successful product propelled Monsanto into public consciousness. During the 1970’s, Monsanto encountered a major legal obstacle. The company had produced a chemical known as Agent Orange. This chemical was used during the Vietnam War, to deforest thick Vietnamese Jungles. Agent Orange contained dioxin that was a carcinogenic which caused cancer in many Vietnam Soldiers2. The company changed its name back to Monsanto Company and tried to rid out …show more content…
In 1994 Monsanto was selling soybean, cotton, and canola seeds that were engineered to be tolerant to Monsanto’s Roundup Ready herbicide. Roundup Ready seeds allowed farmers to use the herbicide to eliminate weeds while sparing the crop3. Unfortunately, for the public, there was no affects studies required to be conducted on the effects of killing these other weeds. This is discussed later in this document. Today Monsanto Company is the world’s largest seed company, with sales over $10.5 billion. It specializes in biotechnology, or the genetic manipulation of organisms. Monsanto scientists have spent the last few decades modifying crops, often by inserting new genes or adapting existing genes within plant seeds with the thought of producing larger yields, hardier plants, and Roundup