"Of course the GMO foods are safe; Monsanto tells me so."

Most people are probably a bit skeptical towards genetically modified plants, and for a good reason too. The long term effects of the consumption of GMO is not known, there are dangers to our ecosystem involved in the cultivation of GMO plants and the GMO producers gain tremendously by creating a monopoly on their seeds. Signing a contract with Monsanto is comparable to giving your soul to the Devil. For a few years of prosperity (if even that) you are under the complete control of Monsanto. Once you have GMO crop on your field, there is no turning back. And guess what, your neighbour who grows organic crops may also find himself enslaved to Monsanto. Because seeds spread, and once they end up in your field, you are growing Monsanto crop!

And if you thought, that at least the GMO's and the effect they have on us are rigorously studied by independent researchers, so they can't be that bad, well, then you were wrong.

An editorial in the respected American scientific monthly magazine, Scientific American, August 2009 reveals the shocking and alarming reality behind the proliferation of GMO products throughout the food chain of the planet since 1994. There are no independent scientific studies published in any reputed scientific journal in the world for one simple reason. It is impossible to independently verify that GMO crops such as Monsanto Roundup Ready Soybeans or MON8110 GMO maize perform as the company claims, or that, as the company also claims, that they have no harmful side effects because the GMO companies forbid such tests!

That’s right. As a precondition to buy seeds, either to plant for crops or to use in research study, Monsanto and the gene giant companies must first sign an End User Agreement with the company. For the past decade, the period when the greatest proliferation of GMO seeds in agriculture has taken place, Monsanto, Pioneer (DuPont) and Syngenta require anyone buying their GMO seeds to sign an agreement that explicitly forbids that the seeds be used for any independent research. Scientists are prohibited from testing a seed to explore under what conditions it flourishes or even fails. They cannot compare any characteristics of the GMO seed with any other GMO or non-GMO seeds from another company. Most alarming, they are prohibited from examining whether the genetically modified crops lead to unintended side-effects either in the environment or in animals or humans.

The only research which is permitted to be published in reputable scientific peer-reviewed journals are studies which have been pre-approved by Monsanto and the other industry GMO firms. (GMO scandal: The Long Term Effects of Genetically Modified Foods on Humans)

If Monsanto was so sure that the seeds could cause us and the environment no harm, they shouldn't fear independent research. In what other industry is it possible to immunize yourself from public scrutiny? I can't think of many others... except for perhaps the Pharmaceutical industry (See this article). We seem to think that independent research is extremely important, but when it comes to the things that matter the most, our health and the future of this planet, we allow the bullies to override us. So who knows, in a few years, our planet will be dominated by Monsanto crops, we will all be sick, and then, thank God that we have our pills from the Pharmaceutical companies :) They have our best interest in mind of course...