Protestors carried out rallies and demonstrations against seed giant Monsanto in not only US but in more than 44 countries around the globe. In US alone, organizers of these protests claim nearly 2 million people participated in the rallies. The reason behind these marches was to raise awareness against the dangers of genetically modified crops and the companies that produce seeds for it.
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Monsanto and many other companies produce genetically altered seeds that can resist insecticides and pesticides. These
plants help in increasing the crop yield and also bring additional benefits such as increased nutrition and taste. However, experts on health and nutrition claim that these genetically modified plants can not only harm our environment but also cause serious problems for the health of the consumers. If one looks around, most of the soybean, corn, and cotton crops in the country are today produced with the help of these genetically modified seeds. The government and the scientists seem to be in a state of denial, claiming these seeds and plants to be free from any health problems. They also contend that these genetically modified plants cause no harm to our environment also.
The organizer of the protests worldwide, Tami Canal created a page on Facebook a few months ago to protest the policies and practices of the company. Today, that page has become a revolution of sorts, giving a call of action to millions around the world. Tami accepts that even if 3000 people had come out in her support she would have been happy. She never believed even in her wildest imaginations that more than 2 million people from around the world would stand up to take her side.
St. Louis is the headquarters of the company called Monsanto that is in the midst of all the controversy. In a statement issued on Saturday, a spokesman of the company said that though the company respects the opinion of the protectors, it maintains that its policies and indeed the seeds produced by are actually helping the farmers around the world by improving crop yield while consuming less water and energy.
There is no requirement on the p[art of companies producing genetically modified seeds and food items to carry an special labels to inform the public. Even the FDA does not demand it but a growing number of consumers and groups are pushing for such labels to inform the public and let them make an informed choice. The efforts of these consumers are being supported by a huge number of people worldwide who are concerned about the possible dangers of the genetically modified plants and foods.
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Biotechnology Industry Organization, a company that represents the interests of companies like Monsanto and Du Pont has said that labeling seeds and plants would confuse people as they would be led to think that these products are unsafe. The demand for labeling GMO products has got support from Whole Foods Markets that said that sales of Non GMO products jumped up to 15-30% when such a label was used.
