The Center for Food Safety and Pacific Northwest wheat farmers have filed a class action lawsuit against Monsanto. Last month, illegal genetically engineered, glyphosate-resistant wheat plants were found growing in Oregon. That what has not been approved for sale or commercial production in the U.S. Importers such as South Korea, Japan, and the EU enacted restrictions on American wheat after the discovery. Andrew Kimbrell, executive director of the Center for Food Safety said in a statement, "Monsanto has put our farmer's wheat export at grave risk. Billions of dollars, and our food supply, is at risk because of Monsanto's negligence. They must be held accountable." The wheat was grown in field tests in 16 states from 1998 to 2005. Monsanto gave up its pursuit of regulatory approval … [Read more...]
Unapproved Genetically Engineered Wheat Found Growing in Oregon
The USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) announced this week that genetically engineered glyphosate-resistant wheat plants have been found growing in Oregon. This is the same Roundup resistant wheat variety that was field-tested by Monsanto from 1998 to 2005 but was rejected. There are no GMO wheat varieties approved for sale or commercial production in this country or anywhere else at this time. While this discovery is not a food safety concern, it does highlight one of the concerns of the anti-GMO movement: that these altered genes will find their way into other wild plants. THe FDA, meanwhile, states that "this variety is as safe as non-GE wheat currently on the market." This discovery may mean that the Plant Protection Act has been violated. This law states … [Read more...]
