Food Inc.: Genetic Modification

Naively, we human beings believe we live in the dazzling golden age of technological advancements. Only, news flash: we’re not. Global food insecurity is at an all-time high. We’re struggling to feed a population that rises as quickly as the mercury in my thermometer. As demand soars and food dwindles, the men in power only seem to grow in size: from their wallets to their waistlines. So, you must ask yourself: what’s the easiest way to produce high quality crops to satisfy our hunger and their lust for money and power? The answer: Genetic Modification. As the documentary Food Inc. suggests, the concept may be brilliant, but the outcome is abhorrent.

Genetically modified organisms (GMO’s), for those of you who don’t know, are organisms that

brought forth the large-scale injustices which occurred as a result of Monsanto patenting the soybean seed. Currently, Monsanto owns over 90% of the global soybean industry and therefore has a personal responsibility to remove any perceived threats to their multi-billion-dollar monopoly. If it’s soybean; it’s theirs! Monsanto is essentially the Big brother of the industry; carefully watching and listening to every soybean farmer to ensure nothing gets in the way of them and their fat wads of cash. The patents that Monsanto own, legally give them the “right” to sue farmers who refuse to purchase their seeds seasonally, or use a private seed bank. Essentially, Big Brother has moved on from watching people through Telescreens, and has now opted for a far more pleasurable method of manipulation: bank statements and receipts. Their aim is to “peacefully”, through manipulation and threats, force all soybean farmers to cease the practice of saving and replanting the seeds of successful crops- a once millennia old practice. But hey, it’s the twenty-first century, who hasn’t been forced to do something unsavoury by a totalitarian company corrupted by capitalism? Furthermore, you can be assured that the modified seeds have a terminating gene which renders their daughter seeds sterile and hence completely useless. Thus forcing the farmers to re-purchase seeds every season, so that Monsanto can continue growing their monopoly. I don’t know about you, but I think that this

I know, I know. What kind of company would even think to use unethical and borderline illegal methods to rise in power and wealth? Unheard of, I say! Yet, The World Trade Organisation’s Trade Related Intellectual Property Rights Agreement in a number of articles (27.2 and onwards) openly expresses the right to terminate or deny the placement of a patent if the invention is to protect human life and health, because their exploitation is prohibited by law. Furthermore, the patent is excluded if it involves the modification of a biological process, or alters the life and processes of plants used as crops. Considering that a seed is not an invention, and Monsanto did not invent a seed: they merely modified and “improved” it for our benefit, their attempts to sue and bankrupt farmers should only be, at most, semi-legitimate. But, they have money and political influence, and what do farmers have? Crippling contracts and a life sentenced to slavery for Monsanto on minimum wage. However, as earlier stated, Monsanto is looking out for our health and well-being. Their product, the soybean, is one of the few legumes that contain all essential amino acids for the healthy function of human beings. Because they are so essential to human health, a claim to patent the crop should