Is Cheap Food Worth the Risks?
A Q&A with author Bartow J. Elmore on the history of Monsanto and the dangers of using genetic engineering to boost the world’s food supply.
Monsanto knew about the toxic effects of its products — and kept profiting from them.
Photographer: IVAN PISARENKO/AFP
This is one of a series of interviews by Bloomberg Opinion columnists on how to solve the world’s most pressing policy challenges. It has been edited for length and clarity.
Amanda Little: Global population growth and climate change have strained the world’s food supply and accelerated the race to develop new, more efficient ways of growing crops. Advances in genetic engineering, notably the genome editing technology known as CRISPR, have opened up food-production possibilities that were unimaginable just a few years ago. You’re the author of a new book, “Seed Money: Monsanto’s Past and Our Food Future.” In telling the history of Monsanto, the chemical giant that has long been at the forefront of genetically-modified agriculture, you make the case that we should proceed cautiously into this new era – we can’t move forward responsibly without looking back. Quick litmus test to begin with: What did you have for breakfast?
Bartow J. Elmore, author, “Seed Money: Monsanto’s Past and Our Food Future”: Huevos rancheros, no meat. Not a vegan diet – I still eat eggs, but I’m trying to reduce the meat consumption as best I can these days.