On useage of petroleum (and indeed other resources) you also have to ask what the impact would be, at present, of using less of each various resource – without advancements in seed technology and agronomic practices using less is potentially catastrophic in the short term – while it is clear to most people that maintaining current resource useage going forward (with increasing demands on the food system) is not sustainable – which is exactly why Monsanto is pushing so hard to get water efficient crops onto the market(in the near term) and nitrogen efficient crops onto the market (in the mid to long term)

I guess I object to Monsanto saying that they own the seed that comes from their seed. So if they sell me a cow and it has a calf, they own the rights to it and the milk it produces? Fact of the matter is some of that corn naturally mutates and is not the same corn they have a patent on, therefore how can any company (since Monstato is not the only one) claim they own all of it?

Also, is it really in our best interest to use so much petroleum to grow and make our food? The general public is starting to see the error in its ways with SUVs, when will the Monstanto’s of the world see theirs?

An invite to a food show? I checked the site, its worse than the one I go to every year. “shaken hands and kissin’ babies”, more pics of poker games and country singers than anything else – what an ol’ boys network. Of course your cronies there wouldn’t dare say anything bad.

I work for a food company, have friends who are farmers both organic and regular, have my education as a food scientist as well as my mom was a dietitian and I can tell you something doesn’t feel right. Just a reminder to everyone (especially Monsanto) – everything in MODERATION.
Eat organic if you can. Quit eating the corn chips and soda. Learn something about what you put in your body. Teach others, and pray to God (or whom ever) that somewhere down the line we’re not all in a world of hurt when the politics of food blows up in our face.

“If your concern was truly about feeding the hungry , you wouldn’t be suing grandfathers who clean seed.”

I tried to let this go, but I couldn’t. Very clever, if shallow, appeal to the emotional side of the argument.

However, I’m not sure what you point is, Kelly. The saying goes: “Justice is Blind.” Monsanto is likely allowed to SUE anyone they want, but the Justice system determines if Monsanto WINS, and so Monsanto only sues people they feel they have enough evidence to win against.

Are you arguing that grandfathers should be allowed to steal? Does that also extend to uncles? Or is it really just old people can steal? Or do you have to be old, male, and have children that have reproduced? Do they have to be biological grandchildren, or can either (or both) generations be adopted?

Is it only stealing that is OK, or are other crimes allowed for grandfathers, too? [Editors note: Portion of comment redacted]

The fact that the gentleman in question was a grandfather has NO bearing on whether he was guilty of a crime. In fact, I’d say MORE shame on him, for being a poor role model for his grandchildren.

Monsanto has several products that are not GM, so firstly I think you are confusing your objections and thus diluting your message.

If you don’t want GM products, there is an EASY way to tell that the food you are eating is not GM: look for the already existing ORGANIC label. Current organic certification requires non-GM organisms. Problem solved, thanks for stopping by!

If, on the other hand, you don’t want to eat ANY products grown from Monsanto seed, you may be in for some more work, because Monsanto sells a lot of non-GM hybrid seeds, which my understanding is may well be grown using organic techniques.

And just to short-cut the process, I expect you to come back and say, “but the organic food may be contaminated with GM pollen”. Which is true, in principle.

But, as the pet-food, infant formula, and peanut issues of late have shown, NO label is an absolute guarantee of any particular quality of the food.

The only way to REALLY know what is in your food is to grow it yourself, and then hope there is no lead in the Ball Jar lids you use to can it. And likely you’ll have to give up coffee, chocolate, bananas, and the like. But at least you’ll “know”, except for pesticide drift from your neighbors, and residues from the previous owners of your yard, and….

Declining to participate and declining to be interviewed are two completely different things.

What Montsanto declined to do was to answer specific questions posed by the producers of Food Inc. They declined to be interviewed on the filmmakers’ terms. Like every large company, every word uttered needs to be carefully scrutinized and spun by a nice big team of communications experts to put the company in the best possible light. I consulted for a very large grocery conglomerate for years, and saw time and time again the half-truths perpetuated by food companies that people trust to deliver quality products. Montsanto is no different.

So instead, Food Inc. gets invited to a trade show? Trade shows are nothing but back-patting displays of corporate incest, designed to build morale and let the same companies delivering the same message bathe in their own shallow gene pool. I highly doubt anyone at this trade show was advocating the opposite stance, that being rejecting GM seeds, or promoting small-scale organic farming practices. Are you surprised Food Inc. didn’t want any part of that? If the reasons behind GM farming practices (ie/ “providing a sustainable solution to world hunger”) are so sound, then why the reluctance of Montsanto to be interviewed on Food Inc’s turf?

Perhaps Food Inc. should have taken Montsanto up on their offer. The film could then have illustrated, Borat-style, how ridiculous the arguments are for GM seeds by letting the mouthpieces for the company speak for themselves, on film. Ignorance and short-sighteness make for great entertainment.

As a food advocate, chef, and parent, you will never convince me that Montsanto’s band-aid solutions to world hunger are in the best interests of anyone but rich corporate farming executives. If your concern was truly about feeding the hungry , you wouldn’t be suing grandfathers who clean seed. Food, to Montsanto, is a commodity, as are people. They saw a demand, and filled it. End of story. It could have been anything, but it just happens to be what we put in our mouths three time a day.

If you’re not willing to expend the effort of a “first date”, you shouldn’t expect a “relationship”, seems to me.

This has been discredited all over the Internet, including on this site, which calls into question the rest of your ‘on the internet researching this company and all its “doings” for days now’.

It sounds to ME like you have already made up your mind, and are only looking for evidence to support the “conclusion” you had previously formed, without support, and ignoring evidence that might contradict your “position”.

I’m sure that’s not how you wanted to portray your efforts.