Global protests against genetically modified foods and Monsanto

More than 400 cities from all over the world joined the protests. Monsanto officials claim there is no evidence of GMO being harmful in any way

Mass protests against genetically modified foods were held yesterday in 52 countries and more than 400 cities all over the world. Protesters particularly targeted the seed giant Monsanto and its production of genetically engineered seeds. Critics of these technologies say genetically modified food can lead to serious health conditions and pollute the environment. In addition to this, GMO seeds are very aggressive and even small amount of seeds can contaminate the traditional crops.

Monsanto Co. officials maintain that its seeds are completely safe and moreover they improve the agriculture by increasing productivity and conserving resources such as water and energy. The federal government and many scientists also support these claims.

While health advocates and concerned citizens are pushing for mandatory labeling of genetically modified products, the US Food and Drug Administration does not require GMO foods to carry a label. Organic food companies and traditional producers say people have a right to know what they eat.

Some American states, such as Vermont and Connecticut are voting this month on making mandatory labeling of any GMO ingredients in the food, despite the fact that the U.S. Senate has already rejected a bill that would allow individual states to require labeling of GMO products. A lobbying group for Monsanto in the Senate, states that mandatory labeling would only mislead people into thinking the products aren't safe, even though the FDA has confirmed the opposite.

In Europe however Monsanto faces strong resistance from the public, with more and more countries banning their products, and causing large amount of orders to be cancelled. The situation is going as far as the European branch of Monsanto putting an end to the lobbying for GMO foods, with some of the competitors like BASF and Syngenta, completely abandoning the GMO seeds production.