The World According to Monsanto
Monsanto (now merged with Bayer) is the largest agricultural biotech company in the world. They are also the world’s leading producer of genetically modified organisms (GMOs), which encourage the manipulation of naturally occurring traits in plants and crops. Public debate over the potential health hazards of GMO products has continued since the company received government approval for its first GM soybeans in the late 1990s.
The full-length documentary “The World Through Monsanto’s Eyes” provides a comprehensive overview of the debate. As detailed in the film, Monsanto has long been embroiled in controversy. Back in the early 1900s, many of the company’s products were ultimately found to be unacceptably toxic in their applications, including the pesticides DDT, Agent Orange, and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs).
Monsanto produced the latter for nearly four decades in Anniston, Alabama. When residents of Anniston began linking the chemical to increased rates of cancer, mental retardation, and various other chronic diseases and abnormalities, they successfully sued the company for $700 million.
The film spends a lot of energy exploring the dangers of Monsanto’s most profitable product, Roundup, a herbicide that has become popular in homes and the farming community for its weed-killing abilities. The filmmakers found the company came under fire twice for false advertising, claiming the product was biodegradable and environmentally friendly. There are concerns it could have long-term effects on the environment and human health, as proper testing has never been officially approved.
The film blames this on the U.S. government and its most influential policymakers. Monsanto has huge clout in Washington, D.C., and the filmmakers have accused those in power of being vulnerable to the company’s bribery tactics.
According to Monsanto, the world ends up being influenced by its central framing device, the filmmaker Mary-Monique Robin scouring the Google search page for the next lead in her investigation, and her one-sided view of the issue. . But the evidence it provides is worth pondering.
Directed by: Marie-Monique Robin
